RUSSELL, William
| Service Numbers: | 4300, 4300A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1915, Warwick Farm racecourse |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sofala, Mid-Western Regional - New South Wales, Australia, 13 August 1892 |
| Home Town: | Kellyville, The Hills Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Kellyville Public School |
| Occupation: | Brickmaker |
| Died: | Polygon Wood, Polygon Wood, Ypres, Belgium, 25 September 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kellyville Public School Roll of Honour, Kellyville WW1 Roll of Honour, Kellyville WW1 Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Norwest Mitchell Remembers Roll of Honour, Rouse Hill Russell Reserve Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4300, 1st Infantry Battalion, Warwick Farm racecourse | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4300, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 54th Infantry Battalion | |
| 16 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4300, 54th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Evacuated to the UK | |
| 1 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 54th Infantry Battalion | |
| 6 May 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 54th Infantry Battalion | |
| 31 Jul 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 4300A, 54th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4300A awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-09-25 |
Help us honour William Russell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Steve Larkins
4300 Sergeant William Russell was born on 13th August 1892 at Sofala in NSW. His parents were William and Gertrude Russell.
He and his younger brother Arthur were living at Kellyville NSW when they enlisted together on 28th AUgust 1915.
He embarked with his reinformecement draft for the 1st Battalion, on HMAT A60 AENAES on 20th December 1915, arriving in Egypt in early February. William and Arthur were both allocated the the newly raised 54th Battalion, in the 14th (NSW) Brigade of the 5th Division, created as part of the 'doubling of the AIF'.
In June 1916 the 5th Division arrived in northern France near the town of Fleurbaix.
The 5th Division suffered very high casualties in the attack at Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916 and William's brother Arthur was one of those killed.
William was wounded to the extent that he required hospitalisation in the UK. rr He re-joined the Battalion in the spring of 1917 in the Somme valley. He was propmoted Sergeant in May 1917.
The 5th Division and the rest of the AIF positioned to take part in the Third Ypres campaign which commenced on 31 July 1917. The 4th and 5th Divisions were tasked to clear Polygon Wood after the earlier Battle of Menin Road. The 5th Division was to clear the wood itself with the 4th to their left and an English Division (33rd) on the right. A German counterattack was mounted on the 25th along the line of the boundary between the 5th Division and the British 33 Divisiojn. It was successfully defeated, but it is likely that William Russell was killed during this event which was the major action that day preceding the launch of the clearance operation the following day.
William has no known grave and is commemrated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient.
Click images to start slideshow.