Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"DEATHS

CORCORAN.- On March 3, at his residence, 40 Rowell crescent, Kllkenny, William Albert Corcoran, late of H.M. Customs, dearly beloved husband of Mary Ivy Corcoran. Aged 49 years. Requiescat in pace.

FUNERAL NOTICES

CORCORAN.- The Friends of the late Mr. WILLIAM ALBERT CORCORAN (late of H.M. Customs) are respectfully informed that his Funeral will Leave his late Residence, 40 Rowell crescent, Kilkenny, on SATURDAY, at 1.15 p.m.. for the Catholic Cemetery, Mount Barker, arriving at 3.30 p.m..." - from the Adelaide News 03 Mat 1933 (nla.gov.au)

William was the son of Thomas CORCORAN & Mary O’BRIEN and born on the 29th of April 1882 at Lashbrook, near Macclesfield SA.

He was the youngest child born into the family of 7 children; 3 boys, 4 girls.

His parents were married on the 29th of November 1866 in Mt Barker SA.

His father was the son of John CORCORAN in 1827 in County Clare, Ireland. He arrived in Pt Adelaide aboard the “Stamboul” on the 1st of February 1858.
His mother was the daughter of Dennis O’BRIEN and was born in County Clare, Ireland. She arrived in Pt Adelaide on the 22nd of August 1864 aborad the “Art Union’.

His father was a farmer and on the 9th of February 1865 he purchase Part Section 2819, Hundred of Macclesfield, containing 9 acres, from George Gerrish, a blacksmith of Macclesfield.
This property was located on the now south-east corner of the Bugle Range & Stamps Road.

This land boarded the property of John Austin who’s property was know as Lashbrook and was originally settled around 1844 and was one of the oldest large estates in the Macclesfield, Bugle Ranges area.
(now 216 Bugle Ranges Road, Macclesfield).

**John Austin was born in Hertford in England in 1799 and was well educated in medicine and the sciences. Later he became a school teacher and a regular Congregational preacher.
In the 1830’s he spent much of his time preaching and teaching in villages near London and it was during this period that he probably became familiar with the small locality, Lashbrook, in Oxfordshire, for it was this name that he chose for his estate in South Australia.
Mr Austin decided to move to Australia with his wife and eight children and therefore he bought approximately 500 acres of land from Roger Cunliffe, a London banker who was one of the original purchasers of the Macclesfield Special Survey. The family arrived at Port Adelaide on the ship Augustus on the 31st of December 1843 after a voyage of 93 days.

Soon afterwards, on a hot summer day they travelled to Macclesfield in two spring carts over a bush track that was later to become the Adelaide to Macclesfield Road.
Mr Austin was assisted by Samuel Davenport to settle on his land.

The Austins built a three room gum slab hut in 1844 on their property ‘Lashbrook’, at Bugle Ranges. This was later replaced by a small stone hut. Then as farming and gardening became more prosperous, a large stone dwelling was constructed in stages.

There is a private cemetery on the property with 4 burials;
LOVICK Harriet - died 27.08.1862 (16 days old)
AUSTIN baby – died 02.07.1868 (1 day old)
AUSTIN Matilda – died 21.02.1870 (65 years old)
AUSTIN Ada Winifred – died 21.02.1870 (5 months old)

When John Austin sold this property William’s father purchased it and considerably increased his holding. **

William Albert CORCORAN was educated at the Sisters of St, Joseph’s convent in Macclesfield and later attended the Christian Brothers College in Adelaide.

William was the Secretary of the Macclesfield Catholic Picnic for many years.
He was also the Secretary of the Macclesfield Football Club in 1906 and the Quadrille Class.

His brother; John Francis died of acute Pneumonia at Campbell House, Lake Albert on Thursday morning, the 25th of May 1905.
The body was conveyed by special steamer to Milang on Friday morning, and then brought to his parents' home at Macclesfield for burial in the Mt Barker Catholic Cemetery.

His father Thomas died at his residence in Macclesfield on the 23rd of April 1909 and they buried him in the Mt Barker Catholic Cemetery with John.

In 1909 William was a Conductor on the Pt Adelaide Railway Service.

On the 19th of May 1914 his mother transferred the land to his sister Bridget, who was a spinster, but they remained on the land together.

At the age of 32, William enlisted into the AIF on the 21st of January 1915, in Oaklands and was allotted the service number 288 and posted to F Company, Base Infantry Depot at Oaklands before being transferred to the newly raised 27th Battalion, B Company.
He embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A2 Geelong on the 31st of May 1915, disembarking in Alexandria on the 6th of July.

He served in Egypt and France for nearly 3 years before embarking for Australia on the 28th of March 1919 on board Pt Macquarie, disembarking at Ocean Steamers Wharf, Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon, the 21st of May.

William returned to Macclesfield and Friday night, the 6th of June the Macclesfield Hall presented a very picturesque scene with the pretty coloured decorations and the flags of the Allies, in honour of some of the Macclesfield lads who had just returned from the front.
William and 3 other Corporals and their relatives were met at the hall door by the Chairman of the Macclesfield District Council (Mr. T. C. Cosgrove), Mr. S. Davis, and Mrs. M. Fry (president, of the Red-Cross Committee), conducted them to the platform to the accompaniment of “Home, Sweet Home”, played by the Macclesfield Brass Band.
The National Anthem was then sung and the Chairman welcomed the boys back, and wished them every success and happiness.
The Chairman, on behalf of the residents of Macclesfield then presented each of the soldiers with a pocket wallet and Mr. T. McNamara, on behalf of the football club, presented the returned lads with a gold medal.

William was discharged on the 21st of July 1919.

William married Mary Iva WALSH on the 14th of April 1920 in the Church of the Good Shepherd, Strathalbyn.
Mary was the daughter of Edward Stephen WALSH & Margaret MURPHY and was born on the 23rd of March 1886 in Tory Banks, near Strathalbyn.
Mary’s father was born in Limerick, Ireland and had arrived in Pt Adelaide aboard the “Utopia” on the 8th of February 1864, with his 2nd brother; James. His parents; James & Mary also immigrated, as too did an older brother; Thomas.

William gained employment as an officer with the Customs Department in Adelaide and the Pt Adelaide and they moved to Rowell Crescent, Kilkenny.
His mother and Bridget stayed on the family land until they sold it on the 23rd of February 1923 and moved to Myrtle Street, Prospect.
His mother died on the 13th of April 1930 in Myrtle Street, Prospect.
They buried her in the Mt Barker Catholic Cemetery on the 15th of April 1930, next to John & Thomas.

William died on the 3rd of March 1933 at his residence, 40 Rowell Crescent, Kilkenny and was buried in the Mt Barker Catholic Cemetery

CORCORAN.- The Friends of the late Mr. WILLIAM ALBERT CORCORAN (late of H.M. Customs) are respectfully informed that his Funeral will Leave his late Residence, 40 Rowell crescent, Kilkenny, on SATURDAY, 4th at 1.15 p.m.. for the Catholic Cemetery, Mount Barker, arriving at 3.30 p.m..."

Mary died in hospital on the 21st of September 1941 at her residence in Kilkenny and is buried in the Mt Barker Catholic Cemetery.

They never had children.

Military

At the age of 32, William enlisted into the AIF on the 21st of January 1915, in Oaklands and was allotted the service number 288 and posted to F Company, Base Infantry Depot at Oaklands. .
He listed his mother of Macclesfield, as his next of kin.

On the 15th of March he was transferred to the newly raised 27th Battalion, B Company.
He embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A2 Geelong on the 31st of May 1915, disembarking in Alexandria on the 6th of July.

They then undertook a further two months of training.

On the 3rd of September William was lucky enough to be transferred to the 2nd Division Depot Stores in Ghezireh, as a storeman in charge of kit bags.
Not long after his transfer, as an urgent request, the 27th Battalion was shipped to Gallipoli, so William missed the Gallipoli campaign.
He was admitted into the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbassia for 4 days, on the 19th of April 1916 suffering from Influenza & Nile Fever.

On the 18th of September he proceeded back to England and marched into detail company, at No.3 Command Depot, Park House, Salisbury.

From here he was transferred to the 7th Training Battalion on the 4th of October and then proceeded to France to join the 27th Battalion on the 16th of November and was taken on strength with them on the 6th of December at their billets in St Vast.

On the same day he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

The 27th Battalion was attached to the 7th Brigade and in January 1917, they moved into the Le Sars sector where they took over from British units that were holding the line near Mametz.
Offensive operations during this time were largely curtailed by bad weather, but on the 2nd of March they launched a combined attack north of Warlencourt. The initial assault yielded some ground, but the Germans completed a successful outflanking move on the left, which threatened to take the momentum out of the attack. As reinforcements were brought up, the 27th Battalion linked up with the 26th Battalion on its left flank near the Loupart Road and, under the cover of mist, managed to establish a new trench line 500 yards (460 m) long and captured a number of prisoners.

William and his Battalions next engagement came on the 26th of March 1917 when they undertook an attack on Lagnicourt, during which they lost 11 killed and 29 wounded.
They then marched onto Bapaume Road, Pozieres where William was slightly wounded on the 13th of April.

Their next move was to the Hindenburg Line and the attack on the 3rd of May and by the end of May they were in billets at Senlis.
Whilst at Senlis, William was promoted to Corporal and then after 2 weeks they were entrained for Bapaume and moved into their new camp at Brickfields for further training and remained there for all of July.

They moved onto Renescure for further training in August and by mid September had marched to Montreal Camp near Steenvoorde, where they began to carry ammunition to the front line.
They were then moved to Ypres and Westhoek Ridge in preparation for the Battle of Menin Road which started on the 20th.
During the battle, they were committed to the fighting as part of the first wave which routed the German forces. Advancing under a cover of artillery and machine gun fire, the battalion captured a section of the German line known as the 'Blue Line' between Polygon Wood and a position known as the Iron Cross Redoubt.
Later, they successfully took part in the Battle of Broodseinde on the 4th of October, which was to be their last major offensive action in 1917.

They then returned to Steenvoorde for most of October for training until they were moved to the front line at Albert on the 29th.

Here they experienced many hostile planes of their lines which were directing the enemy’s artillery fire.

On the 1st of November, William was in a dugout with 3 mates when a shell was dropped on the dugout.
William suffered a shell wound to his face & right cheek and was gassed.
He was transferred to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance and then onto the 10th Casualty Clearing Station before being admitted into the 5th General Hospital in Rouen, 2 days later.

He embarked for England on the 9th and was admitted into the Mile End Military Hospital in London the following day.

On the 19th of November he was discharged to No.3 Command Depot at Hurdcott and classified B1 (Able to march five miles, and see to shoot with glasses and hear well) on the 23rd.

He was then transferred to a training battalion before suffering an attack of scabies on the 3rd of May 1918 and admitted into the Bright Grove Military Hospital at Newcastle, Northumberland.

He remained here until the 6th of August when he was discharged to No.1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny.
William then proceeded back to France on the 22nd of September and rejoined his Battalion who were in the Cappy area completing more training.

Their final engagement of the war came on the night of the 3rd of October 1918, when they took part in the Battle of Beaurevoir. During this battle, they attacked around Prospect Hill, suffering 67 casualties. The following night they crossed the Estrees Road and took up position northeast of Estrees to support the 6th Brigade which was attacking positions beyond Beaurevoir.

Following this, they, along with the other Battalions of the Australian Corps, were removed from the front line for rest on the 5th of October, after a request from the Australian Prime Minister, Billy Hughes.
The Australian Corps had been severely depleted and were suffering from acute manpower shortages as a result of the combination of a decrease in the number of volunteers from Australia and the decision to grant home leave to men who had served for over four years.
Subsequently, when the armistice was signed on the 11th of November 1918, the Australian Corps had not returned to the front and was still in the rear reorganising and training and William and the 27th Battalion were in billets at Berteaucourt.

They then moved onto Charleroi, Belgium, via Velenciennes and Williams last Christmas Day away from Australia was spent here on a rainy day.

With the end of hostilities the demobilisation process began, and men were slowly repatriated back to Australia. The process took a considerable period of time, though, and a large number of men were able to undertake tertiary and vocational training in England and France to prepare for their return to civilian life.

William marched into the Australian Infantry Base Depot (AIBD) from his Battalion on the 15th of January 1919 and 5 days later he embarked for England and marched into No.4 Command Depot at Codford.

William embarked for Australia on the 28th of March 1919 on board Pt Macquarie, disembarking at Ocean Steamers Wharf, Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon, the 21st of May.

William was discharged on the 21st of July 1919.

He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.