Wray William Clyde EDMUNDS

EDMUNDS, Wray William Clyde

Service Number: 2785
Enlisted: 22 May 1916, Maryborough, Queensland
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 9th Infantry Battalion
Born: Tiaro, Queensland, 5 October 1896
Home Town: Tiaro, Fraser Coast, Queensland
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Labourer
Died: Natural causes, Maryborough, Queensland, 14 November 1954, aged 58 years
Cemetery: Maryborough Lawn Cemetery, Queensland
Plot. 710
Memorials: Maryborough St. Paul's Anglican Church Book of Remembrance, Tiaro Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour, Tiaro War Memorial
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World War 1 Service

22 May 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2785, Maryborough, Queensland
27 Oct 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2785, 49th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: ''
27 Oct 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2785, 49th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Marathon, Brisbane
6 May 1917: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2785, 49th Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (Second), Shell wound (right leg)
4 Jun 1917: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2785, 49th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines, GSW (right leg)
4 Jul 1918: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2785, 49th Infantry Battalion, Le Hamel - Blueprint for Victory, Shell wound (scalp, right thigh)
31 Oct 1918: Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 9th Infantry Battalion
3 May 1919: Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2785, 9th Infantry Battalion

Help us honour Wray William Clyde Edmunds's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Paul Trevor

The three enlisted children of James Frederick Edmunds and Sarah Elizabeth Woodsford (née Grubb) Edmunds of Tiaro, Queensland:-

1407 Dvr. Clifford Moss Edmunds (/explore/people/212076) - returned to Australia;

7574 Pte. Frederick Robert James Edmunds (recordsearch.naa.gov.au) - enlisted on 19 March 1917 and was discharged medically unfit 3 months later prior to embarking;

2785 Pte. Wray William Clyde Edmunds - returned to Australia.

'LETTERS FROM THE FRONT.

The following are extracts from letters from Pte. Wray Edmunds, received by his brother, Mr. F. P. J. Edmunds, of Tiaro:— I can't say too much, but we are near one of the biggest towns in France. We were under shellfire here for 40 days, and expect to be in very shortly. I am no skite, but I reckon that the Aussies are as good as any fighting men they have, and Fritz will tell you so. They have to get the Aussies to where there is tough fighting. You may have heard of a Lewis gun. Harold Draper (/explore/people/686135), and I are both on the gun, it can fire 47 bullets in three seconds. The French people get a rough time when Fritz makes a big push like he did down here, but we were not here at that time, so we were lucky.

The Queensland people are very good to us. We got a little parcel today from the Comforts Fund; it contained a tin of milk, chewing gum, a pair of mitts, some envelopes, and several other things. I received a parcel from Molly Gard when I was up in the front line, and a cake from "Blighty," and I can tell you they were handy in the line, and when we got out I received a parcel from home and one from Ted Hopper, and they contained some lovely socks. I thought they were beautiful, and I want you to thank them all very much.' from Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser 16 Jul 1918 (nla.gov.au)

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