4061
WALLIS, William Stepney
| Service Number: | 2650 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 January 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Stepney, South Australia, 21 June 1892 |
| Home Town: | Magill, Campbelltown, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Dairyman |
| Died: | Natural causes, Magill, South Australia , 22 November 1948, aged 56 years |
| Cemetery: |
Magill General Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Magill Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2650, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2650, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Katuna embarkation_ship_number: A13 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2650, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Katuna, Adelaide | |
| 30 Sep 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2650, 53rd Infantry Battalion |
William Stepney Wallis
Served in 3rd Light Horse Regiment in Egypt. Service Number 2650 Embarked 23rd June 1916 Discharged 11 Aug 1919
Submitted 26 September 2017 by Lee Wallis
Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College
William Stepney Wallis was a Baptist born in Stepney, South Australia on the 21st of June 1892. His hometown was Magill, South Australia, where he spent most of his early years before war living with his mother and possibly other family members. His mother, Mrs. Ellen Wallis, Vine Street, Magill, South Australia, was written as his Next of Kin in his records. He was single and not married before war. Wallis had a cousin named Stephen George Wallis who also served in World War 1 as a private. When Wallis got a bit older and got a job, he worked as a dairyman.
Wallis had no previous experience in the military before enlisting in 1916. He fit all the requirements needed for enlisting. The requirements included being 19-38 years old, height of 5 foot 6 inches, and a chest measurement of 34 inches. Wallis was 23 years and 4 months, 5 foot 8 inches, and had a chest measurement of 32 to 34 inches when enlisting. These requirements were later changed as there was a shortage of soldiers and it was too difficult finding people in such a strict requirement range. He filled a form out about what he looked like when enlisting. His eyes were hazel, his complexion was fresh, and his hair was dark.
William Stepney Wallis enlisted on the 12th of January 1915 in Adelaide. When Wallis enlisted, he was appointed to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment. Later on, in June of 1916 he finally embarked from Adelaide most likely to Egypt, on board HMAT A13 Katuna.
In 1916, the 3rd Light Horse Regiment joined the ANZAC Mounted Division. Wallis started battling in 1916 but missed the battles early on in the year as he only embarked in June. Wallis’ first big battle was most likely the battle of Romani in August of 1916. The 1st Light Horse Brigade and the 3rd Light Horse Regiment worked closely together during the battle of Romani. Later on in the year, on the 20th of November Wallis got sick and returned from hospital on the 27th.
In late 1916 and early 1917, the 3rd Light Horse Regiment was involved in the fighting to secure the Turkish outposts on the Palestine frontier. Around this time on the 21st of January 1917, Wallis got sick and had to go to the hospital. Later on in the year, the Regiment was involved in the second battle of Gaza on the 19th of April. Gaza finally fell on the 7th of November. During this battle Wallis fell sick on the 25th of September and was diagnosed with shell shock and spent some time in the hospital on the 1st of October.
After the capture of Gaza, the 3rd Light Horse Regiment participated in the advance to Jafa, the Amman raid (24th-27th of February), the Es Salt raid (30th of April – 4th of May) and the repulse of a major German and Turkish attack on the 14th of July 1918. During these battles and raids, Wallis fell sick again. Wallis marched in from the hospital in Le Havre on the 5th of February 1918 after spending a short amount of time in the hospital. During March 1918, Wallis was found to have the same sickness that he had earlier in the year again. As this was serious, he was struck of strength and sent to the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital and stayed there for a while. Later on in 1918, on the 8th of October, Wallis fell sick again and went to hospital, but returned back to his unit shortly after.
The Third Light Horse Regiment sailed for Australia on the 16th of March 1919. The rules around Australian quarantine forbid the re-importation of horses sent overseas, meaning the soldiers had to sail back to Australia without their horses. Wallis finally made it back to Australia on the 15th of May 1919. He most likely had to quarantine before being allowed back home as Australian authorities implemented quarantine procedures in October 1918 as the Spanish flu was terrible during World War 1. Wallis was discharged on the 11th of August 1919 and returned home.
When Wallis returned, he lived in Magill once again. He could have lived in Magill with his mother like he did before he went to war or bought a new house in Magill to start a family. One of his connections was an in law who served in World War 1 as a private named Clifford Cope. This could mean that he got married after war. More evidence that supports he may have got married includes his two children Bruce and Martin. Bruce Wallis was a leading aircraftman in World War 2 and Martin Roy Wallis was a private.
His name is engraved on the Magill Honour board, which shows the names on people who fought in World War 1 from the area of Magill. Wallis died at the age of 56 due to natural causes. He died in Magill, South Australia and his body now lies at the Magill General Cemetery.