FOLO, William Henry John
| Service Number: | 2663 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 May 1916, Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Padthaway, South Australia, 11 July 1887 |
| Home Town: | Naracoorte, Naracoorte and Lucindale, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Home schooled |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Shell Fire Concussion, Belgium, 12 March 1918, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
Spoilbank Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium (II. E. 12) |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mount Gambier War Memorial, Mundulla Soldiers Memorial Honour Roll, Mundulla War Memorial, Naracoorte War Memorial, Naracoorte and District Town Hall Honour Board WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 1 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Mount Gambier, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2663, 50th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2663, 50th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Adelaide |
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"LATE PTE. W. H. J. FOLO.
Mrs. W. H. J. Folo, wife of Pte. W. H. J. Folo, Narracoorte, has received word that her husband was killed in action on the western front on March 12, The deceased soldier, who was 31 years of age, was the second son of Mr. W. J. Folo, of Padthaway, and resided in this district most of his life. There are two children. Pte. Folo enlisted at Mount Gambier on May 1, 1916, sailed on October 23 of the same year, and went to France in May, 1917." - from the Adelaide Observer 06 Apr 1918 (nla.gov.au)
"The LatePte. W. H. Folo.
The wife of the late Pte. W. H. Folo has received the following letter from the officer in charge of the company to which the deceased belonged, giving an account of how he met his death:—
"Dear Mrs. Folo — It is only now that I have had a chance of writing you expressing the sincere sympathy I feel for you in the loss of your husband. The poor chap was my gunner, and on the day he was killed he was out with another company officer (/explore/people/292236) who was also killed with the same shell. Words fail to express the sympathy I feel, Mrs. Folo, and I hope you will take these few lines from me to mean exactly what I feel. There is one thing I can do and that is pay a tribute to your late husband as a soldier and a man. I don't think there is another in the company who commanded the same respect as your husband did. He was a fearless and good soldier, and I can assure you I miss him a great deal. I am enclosing a small pocket diary which was the only personal effect I could find in his pack, and the contents of his pockets, no doubt, will reach you in due course through the military. He was buried in a cemetery quite near Bailleul, and his grave is marked by a large white wooden cross. I would mention that the poor fellow was killed by concussion, which, of course, was instantaneous. I do hope these few lines will help you a little in your great loss.—Believe me to remain, yours very sincerely, W. Rig. Wills." - from the Narracoorte Herald 29 Nov 1918 (nla.gov.au)
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