MCRAE, William
| Service Number: | 1660 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 November 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ararat, Victoria, Australia, 1883 |
| Home Town: | Warracknabeal, Yarriambiack, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Warracknabeal, Victoria, Australia, 1926, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Nov 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1660, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1660, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1660, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne | |
| 16 May 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1660, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, WiA at the Dardanelles: GSW to left ankle (amputation of leg) | |
| 5 Jul 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1660, 7th Infantry Battalion, embarked Suez for Melbourne on board HT Ballarat | |
| 8 Apr 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 1660, 7th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
One of six brothers who served in WWI (Murdoch served with the British Army, and Kenneth, John, William, Duncan and Raymond served in the AIF), Private William McRae (Service No:1660) enlisted in the AIF on 9 November 1914, and was attached to 7th Infantry Battalion on 10 February 1915 when he embarked with his Unit from Melbourne for Suez on board HMAT A54 Runic. Private McRae served with 7th Infantry Battalion during the Gallipoli Campaign (landing at Anzac Cove and the assault on Krithia), and was WiA at the Dardanelles on 16 May 1915 - GSW to ankle, resulting in amputation of leg. On 5 July 1915 Private McRae embarked from Suez for Melbourne on board HT Ballarat, and was attached to 7th Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 8 April 1916.
William (Roderick William Seaman) was born in Ararat, Victoria in 1883, tenth of fourteen children of John McRae (b1836 in Cromarty, Scotland) and Flora McLean (b1846 in Argyllshire, Scotland). Both John and Flora immigrated in 1852 - John (an Agricultural Labourer) arrived in Victoria on board the John Davies, and Flora arrived on board the Flora McDonald. John (a Labourer) and Flora married in 1865 in Hamilton, and lived in Ararat and then Warracknabeal where they raised their family and John worked as a Labourer and Boundary Rider. John died in 1897 as a result of injuries received when he fall from his horse. Flora remained in Warracknabeal, where she raised her family and worked as a Nurse until her death in 1929.
William worked as a Labourer in Warracknabeal, and in 1908 married Florence (Flora) Myrtle Millstead (b1891 in Geelong, Victoria). William was a Labourer in 1914 when he enlisted in the Army. Following his Discharge in 1916 (an amputee), William and Flora settled in Warracknabeal, where they raised their family and William worked as a Labourer. William died in 1926 and Flora died in 1929.
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