DOBSON, William
| Service Number: | 2633 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, 20 January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Culcairn, Greater Hume Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Midland Junction, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway porter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 26 September 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Culcairn Railway Department Roll of Honor, Culcairn War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2633, 17th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 2633, 17th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 2633, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 11 Apr 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 17th Infantry Battalion | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2633, 55th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2633 awm_unit: 55th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-09-26 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
William DOBSON, (Service Number 2633) was born on 20 January 1892 at North Fitzroy, Victoria. He commenced working for the NSW Railways as a porter in the Junee District in January 1913 and was made a permanent employee in May. Specifically within the district, he worked in the goods shed at Culcairn. His pay was increased with the normal yearly increments until 1917 though from 8 August 1915, when he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces, he had been undertaking the work of porter.
Submitted 16 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Dobson worked in the goods section at the Culcairn railway station prior to enlisting during August 1915. He was the only son of John and Sarah Dobson of Culcairn, born in North Fitzroy.
William transferred to the 55th Battalion in Egypt. He was wounded at Fromelles, a gunshot to the thigh, which took about 2 months to heal. He was again wounded in the face during December 1916. He was promoted to Lance Corporal and was awarded a Military Medal for his valor ‘during the attack on Doignes on 2 April 1917, when Dobson, a stretcher bearer, displayed great courage and bravery in tending wounded under heavy artillery and machine gun fire. On perceiving those casualties were too numerous to remove at once, he, in conjunction with Private Rosborough, attended each man where he lay, dressing the wounds, leaving the other stretcher bearers to carry the wounded men back. When all were attended to, he carried them to places of shelter and then joined in with the other bearers in the work of carrying. His splendid courage and devotion to duty, besides setting an example to others, undoubtedly saved many lives. His work was noted and praised by both Officers and men of his Battalion.’
Dobson was reported as killed in action on the opening day of the Battle for Polygon Wood, with no record of his manner of death, nor a known grave. Several services in Culcairn were conducted in his memory.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William DOBSON (Service Number 2633) was born on 20th January 1892 at North Fitzroy, Victoria. He commenced working for the NSW Railways as a porter in the Junee District in January 1913. He was made a permanent employee in May. He worked in the goods shed at Culcairn. On 8thAugust 1915, he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He embarked at Sydney 2nd November 1915 on HMAT ‘Euripides’. He travelled to Egypt. He trained there before moving on to France on HT ‘Caledonian’ through Marseilles. He suffered a gunshot wound to his thigh on 21st July 1916. He was injured a second time with a gunshot wound to his face on 9th December. He was appointed Lance Corporal on 12th April 1917. He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the Field on 1st May. He was killed in action on 26th September 1917.
William Dobson is commemorated at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board