WAKEFIELD, William Bertram
| Service Number: | 2898 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lachlan, Tasmania, Australia, 29 August 1894 |
| Home Town: | Lachlan, Derwent Valley, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm Hand |
| Died: | Pneumonia, Military Hospital, Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England, 7 November 1918, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Sutton Veny (St. John) Churchyard, Wiltshire, England |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 2898, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 2898, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Melbourne |
Help us honour William Bertram Wakefield's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Died on this date – 7th November…… William Bertram Wakefield was born at Lachlan, Tasmania on 29th August, 1894 to parents William & Annie Eliza Wakefield (nee Cordwell).
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 16th October, 1916 as a 22 year old, single, Farm Hand from New Norfolk, Tasmania.
Private William Bertram Wakefield, Service number 2898, embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Orsova (A67) on 6th December, 1916 with 40th Infantry Battalion, 6th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 17th February, 1917. Private Wakefield had been admitted to Ship’s Hospital while at Sea from 10th to 18th January, 1917 for Observation.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
On 18th February, 1917 Private Wakefield was marched in to 14th Training Battalion.
He was marched in to Camp Details at Sutton Mandeville, Wiltshire from 14th Training Battalion on 7th March, 1917 then on 23rd April, 1917 Private Wakefield was marched out to Durrington, Wiltshire.
Private Wakefield proceeded Overseas to France from No. 12 Camp, Durrington on 23rd July, 1917. He was marched in to 3rd Australian Division Base Depot at Havre, France on 24th July, 1917. Private Wakefield was taken on strength with 40th Battalion from Reinforcements from 3rd Australian Division Base Depot at Havre, France on 10th August, 1917.
On 14th March, 1918 Private Wakefield proceeded on Leave to Paris & rejoined his Unit from Leave on 22nd March, 1918.
Private Wakefield was wounded in action on 31st August, 1918. He was taken to 37th Casualty Clearing Station then transferred to 11th Stationary Hospital at Rouen, France on 1st September, 1918. Private Wakefield was invalided to UK on 4th September, 1918 on Hospital Ship Marguerita.
He was admitted to Boscombe Military Hospital at Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on 5th September, 1918 with a gunshot wound to neck. He was discharged on 8th October, 1918 to Furlo. Private Wakefield was marched in to No. 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire from furlo on 22nd October, 1918 & medically classified as B1 A2 (fit for Overseas Training Camp in three to four weeks).
On 4th November, 1918 Private Wakefield was sent sick to Group Clearing Hospital at Sutton Veny with Influenza & then transferred & admitted to the Military Hospital at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire on 5th November, 1918 seriously ill with Pneumonia.
Private William Bertram Wakefield died at 13.30 hrs on 7th November, 1918 at the Military Hospital, Sutton Veny of Pneumonia.
He was buried in St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England where 140 other WW1 Australian War Graves & 2 Australian WW1 Nurses are laid to rest.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/t--y.html
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