SPEIRS, William Joseph
| Service Number: | 795 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 October 1914, Place of Enlistment, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Irvinebank, Queensland, Australia , 2 August 1895 |
| Home Town: | Irvinebank, Tablelands, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Irvinebank State School, Irvinebank, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Died: | Rozelle, New South Wales ,Australia , 22 June 1959, aged 63 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Rookwood Cemeteries & Crematorium, New South Wales Section M2, Row 15, Plot 2249 |
| Memorials: | Irvinebank Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 795, 15th Infantry Battalion, Place of Enlistment, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 795, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 795, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 8 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Jul 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
| 8 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 795, 15th Infantry Battalion, Gunshot Wound to his Thigh |
William Joseph Speirs
William Joseph Speirs is believed to have been born on 2 November 1895 at Irvinebank, Queensland, to parents John and Catharine nee Tracey. He mobilised for war service in August 1914 as part of the “Pacific Expedition” for 6 weeks. Speirs embarked at Cairns, Queensland for garrison duty on Thursday Island on 8 August 1914. Approximately a week later, on 14 August 1914, he enlisted for overseas war service. He re-embarked at Thursday Island aboard HMAS Kanowna on 16 August 1914 to participate in the capture of German New Guinea. He was formally recognised as joining the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force on 6 September 1914. However, he did not participate in the capture of German New Guinea and returned to Townsville on 18 September 1914 as a result of trouble caused by firemen aboard the troopship. He was discharged on 18 September 1914.
He was working as a butcher, aged 20, when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 5 October 1914. His mother gave permission for him to volunteer on 26 September 1914. Speirs embarked at Melbourne with the 15th Battalion aboard HMAT Ceramic on 22 December 1914. He served at Gallipoli where he was promoted to Lance Corporal 8 May 1915 and again to Corporal on 17 July 1915. His service record shows that he was a bugler and he also became bandmaster of the 15th Battalion Band. At his own request, he returned to the rank of Private in 1916. On 23 September 1918, Speirs was granted leave to return to Australia and returned aboard Kaiser-i-Hind on 8 October 1918. Courtesy of The Australian War Memorial.
Submitted 26 February 2021 by Lynette Turner
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