WILLIAMS, John Robert
| Service Number: | 5215 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 January 1916, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 23 June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Noggerup, Donnybrook-Balingup, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Died: | Killed in action, Mouquet Farm, France, 3 September 1916, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery Plot I, Row B, Grave No. 3. HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR COUNTRY'S FREEDOM AND IN HONOUR OF HIS HOME |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5215, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5215, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 31 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5215, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Shropshire, Fremantle | |
| 3 Sep 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5215, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), Battle for Pozières |
Help us honour John Robert Williams's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
John Williams was the son of John and Ellen Williams, of Noggerup, Western Australia.
He only joined the 51st Battalion in France two weeks before they made the last attack by Australians on Mouquet Farm. John’s brother, Bert Williams, also 51st Battalion, had been seriously wounded only days before John joined the unit. Bert was evacuated to England with a gunshot wound to the arm and then invalided home to Australia in 1917.
John was reported missing after the very heavy fighting at Mouquet Farm, one of hundreds form his unit who were trapped in the area after German counter attacks got in behind them.
John’s remains were discovered by the Imperial War Graves Commission during 1923. His identity disc and watch were recovered as well, and they were returned to his mother during January 1924.
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