WHAITES, William Harold
| Service Number: | 1613 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 February 1916, Enlisted at Bathurst, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Nambucca Heads, New South Wales, Australia, August 1890 |
| Home Town: | Burwood, Burwood, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Burwood Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Hit by shell in dugout, France, 23 February 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Villers-Bretonneux, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Burwood Memorial Arch, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Feb 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1613, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1613, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlisted at Bathurst, NSW | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1613, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Dec 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), In the field | |
| 23 Feb 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1613, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1613 awm_unit: 45 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-02-23 |
Help us honour William Harold Whaites's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of William John and Emily Whaites of 'Northleigh' , Angelo Street, Burwood, NSW; brother of Oswald Learman Whaites who was killed in action on 21 September 1917 while serving in the 1st Machine Gun Battalion
A report states that William and a friend were sitting in a dugout when a shell struck and William was recognised by a sheepskn that he was wearing at the time
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From On This Day - Australian Military History
#OTD – We Remember
Acting Sergeant (LCpl) William Whaites
Today we pause to remember the life and service of 1613 Acting Sergeant William Harold Whaites, who killed in action on the 23rd of February 1917.
Originally from Nambucca Heads, William worked as a clerk prior to his enlistment on 2nd February 1916.
Whaites was promoted to Acting Sergeant on 29 March 1916 and embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Ceramic (A40) on 14 April. In September he reverted to a Private before being promoted to Lance Corporal (LCpl) on 11 December 1916.
He was killed in action, aged 26, on 23 February 1917 and has no known grave. According to eyewitness reports in his Australian Red Cross Missing and Wounded File, LCpl Whaites, "a real fine chap", was in 'Stormy Trench' in the Gueudecourt sector at the time of his death. His brother, Sergeant Oswald Leaman Whaites was killed on 21 September 1917.
Lest we forget.
Click images to start slideshow.