WHITNEY, William Alfred
| Service Numbers: | 6915A, 6915 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 September 1917, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 1882 |
| Home Town: | Fitzroy, Yarra, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor driver |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 1 September 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension Plot 111, Row A, Grave 36 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Sep 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6915A, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Nov 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6915A, 24th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Nov 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6915A, 24th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| 1 Sep 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6915, 24th Infantry Battalion, Mont St Quentin / Peronne, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6915 awm_unit: 24 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-09-01 |
Help us honour William Alfred Whitney's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
"...6915 Private William Alfred Whitney, 24th Battalion, from Fitzroy, Vic, (born in Hobart, Tas). Pte Whitney enlisted on 9 August 1917; he served on the Somme and was killed in action on 1 September 1918 while working as a stretcher bearer at Mont St Quentin, France. He is buried in Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
Husband of Mary Rosetta Whitney of 13 Victoria Street, Fitzroy, Victoria
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Ken Whitney
William Alfred Whitney was killed during the initial assault on Mont St Quentin in a trench near the top of the mont not far from the present day memorial to the battle. He was observing for a Lewis Gun team when shot and died instantly. When the team had to retire under heavy fire he was left in the trench and later buried there after the 24th Battalion managed to regain the Mount. He was later removed from the trench burial site and re buried in the war graves section of the Peronne Commual Cemetry. Theesite where he was killed is near an information plaque on the new walking track around the Mount St Quentin battlefield. The plouged fields still look the same as they did in 1918. Source: Australian Red Cross Society Wounded & Missing Enquiry Bureau Files 1914-1918 War and personnal site visit.
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