CASON, William
| Service Number: | 1681 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 21st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Waratah, Tasmania, Australia, 6 April 1884 |
| Home Town: | Geelong, Greater Geelong, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Accidental (Injuries from railway accident), Victoria, Victoria, Australia, 1 April 1916, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
Coburg Pine Ridge Cemetery, Victoria, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1681, 21st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1915: | Involvement Private, 1681, 21st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Jul 1915: | Embarked Private, 1681, 21st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William served for three months on Gallipoli up until the evacuation. He caught a cold soon after and fell ill. He was returned to Australia for discharge on 9 February 1916, suffering from nephritis. Very shortly after his return, he died after an operation in Melbourne Victoria, a double amputation of his legs, following an accident involving a train at Flinders St Station, and was buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Coburg Cemetery.
He was one of four Cason brothers who served in the AIF and his brother 1875 Pte. Joseph Eli Cason 58th Battalion AIF, was killed in action just four weeks after the death of William, on 28 April 1916.
His brother, 1989 Pte. Charles Cason 29th Battalion AIF, returned to Australia during May 1919. Another brother 793 Pte. Robert James Cason 5th Pioneer Battalion AIF, also returned to Australia during 1919.
They were the sons of Annie Cason, and their father had passed away during 1900. The widowed mother of William was denied a pension on the grounds that William’s death was not the result of “his employment in connection with warlike operations.”