FORSYTH, William George Miller
| Service Number: | 6746 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia, September 1886 |
| Home Town: | Cootamundra, Cootamundra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Cootamundra Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Sawyer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 11 August 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, France Plot III, Row E, Grave No. 42. FAR AWAY FROM THE LAND OF WATTLE HE LIES IN A HERO'S GRAVE |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cootamundra RSL Honour Rolls, Cootamundra War Memorial, Parkes District Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6746, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6746, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Port Nicholson embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 8 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6746, 3rd Infantry Battalion, SS Port Nicholson, Sydney |
Help us honour William George Miller Forsyth's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William was the son of Cuthbert Forsyth and Hannah Jordan Roberts of Cootamundra NSW.
A uniquely Australian epitaph is etched on his headstone, in the Daours Communal Cemetery Extension in France,
"Far away from the land of wattle, He lies in a hero's grave."
The epitaph is especially poignant as Forsyth’s home town was Cootamundra, famous for the “Cootamundra Wattle”
In a report by Private A.Y. Jennings, "William was wounded at 11:30 pm on 10 August 1918 near Rosieres. After an attack Jennings stated that he was collecting stragglers and found William wandering on the field, lost but unwounded. When they were coming back a shell burst behind them. William was hit in the back; a piece went almost through his body. He was bandaged up and taken to the dressing station. He was conscious and told Jennings his name and that he was from Cootamundra. He was cheerful and very plucky, though he knew he was done." He died the next day in a Casualty Clearing Station and was buried in the Daours Military Cemetery Plot 3, Row L, Grave 42.
His brother 2795 Sydney James Forsyth also enlisted at the age of 38, having already served in the Boer War with the NSW Imperial Bushmen.