BUSH, William James
| Service Number: | 31340 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 September 1916, Melbourne, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Casterton, Glenelg, Victoria |
| Schooling: | State School & High School, Kangaroo Flat, Vic. Teachers' Training College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | School teacher |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 5 May 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Ebblinghem Military Cemetery Plot I, Row E, Grave No. 23 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, Casterton War Memorial, Kangaroo Flat Soldiers Memorial, Parkville Old State College Memorial Windows |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 31340, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , Melbourne, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 31340, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 31340, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , RMS Orontes, Sydney | |
| 30 Jul 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery, Belgium. As Private. | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 31340, 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery, Menin Road | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 31340, 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery, Broodseinde Ridge | |
| 14 Apr 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 31340, 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery, German Spring Offensive 1918, Hazebrouck | |
| 4 May 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 31340, 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery, German Spring Offensive 1918, SW to abdomen, back and right arm sustained in the line at Strazeele. Evacuated to 15th CCS however died of wounds next day 5 May 1918. | |
| 5 May 1918: | Involvement Private, 31340, 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 31340 awm_unit: 2nd Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-05-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
31340 Gunner (later Private) William James Bush, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade (later 2nd Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery) of Kangaroo Flat via Bendigo, Victoria.
A school teacher prior to enlisting, he embarked from Sydney aboard RMS Orontes on 23 December 1916.
On 4 May 1918, he was wounded in action on the front line at Strazeele, France and died of his wounds in the 15th Casualty Clearing Station, Ebblinghem, France on 5 May 1918, aged 23. He is buried in the Ebblinghem Military Cemetery, France.
Source: AWM
Biography contributed by Andreena Hockley
Private William James Bush died of wounds on the 5th of May, 1918. He was the son of Mr. George Bush, of Kangaroo Flat.
Born on the 23rd of June, 1894, he received his early education at the Upper Axe Creek School, and, in 1908, became a student at the Bendigo High School. In 1911, he was appointed junior teacher at School 1254, Maldon, and, in 1913, was transferred in a similar capacity to School 1241, Diamond Hill, Bendigo. He entered the Teachers' College in 1915, and from there was sent to the Casterton Higher Elementary School, whence he enlisted on the 8th of September, 1916. His record shows him to have been an earnest, careful teacher, painstaking and thoughtful, who did good, steady work.
He embarked with the 23rd Reinforcements to the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade on the transport Oronte on the 23rd December. After training in England, he proceeded to France and joined the 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery on the 30th of July, 1917. He was wounded on the 4th of May, 1918, and died the next day.
Source: The Education Department's Record of War Service, Victoria, 1914-1919.
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