ELSTON, William Ernest
| Service Number: | 27 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 October 1914, Perth, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Camperdown, Victoria, Australia, 10 May 1869 |
| Home Town: | Wogan Hills, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Perth, Western Australia, 25 May 1955, aged 86 years |
| Cemetery: |
Dalwallinu Public Cemetery, Dalwallinu Shire, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 27, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, The Boer Offensive | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Feb 1900: | Promoted Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Sergeant, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 467 notes promoted to Sergeant 17 Feb 1900. | |
| 1 Mar 1900: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Sergeant, 27, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 463 notes 3rd QMI embarked 1 Mar 1900 aboard Duke of Portland arriving Cape Town 2 Apr 1900. | |
| 1 Feb 1901: | Involvement Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Lieutenant, 6th Queensland Imperial Bushmen |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 26 Apr 1915: | Imprisoned ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 15 Aug 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 2 Mar 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Captain, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
William Ernest Elston
William Ernest Elston was born in Camperdown, Victoria on 10 May 1868 to William Leo A. Elston, a Manager with National Bank of Australasia and his wife, Eleanor Maria (nee Wigg). (Source: VIC BDM: ELSTON William Ernest (Father's name) William Leo (Mother's maiden name) Eleanor Maria (Wigg) Reg. year1868 Reg. no7916; day and month - from Service Record).
William Ernest Elston was the Manager of Grenada Station, a sheep station at Cloncurry at the time he enlisted in the Third Queensland Contingent; this was a position he was to hold for many years. (Source: 1915 'ROLL OF HONOUR.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 31 May, p. 10.).
William, along with other soldiers in the Third Queensland Contingent to South Africa, left Brisbane on the 1 March 1900 aboard the "Duke of Portland", arriving at Cape Town on the 2 April 1900. The were to see a lot of action, including at Mafeking and at Elands River. "He was one of the little band of 300 Australians who, with about 200 Rhodesians, withstood a force of Boers nearly eight
times their number at Elands River." (Source: "FALLEN AND WOUNDED." The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924) 12 May 1915, p 2).
Like several others from the Third Queensland Contingent (both officers and rank and file), William Ernest Elston did another tour of duty in the Anglo-South Africa (Boer) War. He re-enlisted and was part of the Sixth Queensland Imperial Bushmen - and was commissioned as Lieutenant William Ernest ELSTON.
Civic 'duty' continued upon his return home and in 1904 his name is listed in the newspapers as being included in the list of new Justices of the Peace commissioned in Brisbane. (Source: "NEW JUSTICES OF THE PEACE." The North Queensland Register (Townsville, Qld. : 1892 - 1905) 18 April 1904: 29.).
The call to duty was again strong when War broke out in 1914 - William Ernest Elston was by this time living in Western Australia at Hettie Siding via Wongan Hills, when he determined to fight for his country. He applied for Commission on 8 October 1914. In several newspaper articles after he went missing at Gallipoli, it was mentioned that several of the former Third Queensland Contingent who had been present at the Battle of Elands in South Africa in 1900, met up again on the troopship Ceramic on the way over to Egypt.
As it turned out, William and a party of other men in his battalion, had been captured by the Turks not long after landing at Gallipoli, near Gaba Tepe (NAA: Record 3541804). He was not officially reported a Prisoner of War until 5 July 1915, when the American Embassy in Constantinople advised the Australian Army (NAA: Record 3541804). He was kept prisoner of war at Affion Kara Hissar. He was released in November 1918 when he was repatriated to Alexandria and then returned to Australia aboard H. T. Port Darwin. He had been promoted to Captain on 15 August 1918.
William and Rose Linton Gustavson lived together as a married couple from at least 1914 when he first listed her as his wife on his application for Commission in the AIF. They did not officially wed until 1936 (in South Australia) when both were in their 60's. This is perhaps because Rose’s first husband, Gustav Gustavson (she had married him in 1890 in Queensland) had by 1933 passed away. By all accounts in the newspapers, Gustav Gustavson, a labourer, was a nice person when sober, but terribly brutish when drunk.
Groom Given Name(s): William Ernest
Groom Last Name: ELSTON
Bride Given Name(s): Rose Linton
Bride Last Name: GUSTAVSON
Marriage Date: 1936, February 19
Marriage Place: Registry Office Adelaide
Groom Age: 67
Groom Approx. Birth Year: 1869
Groom Marital Status: S
Groom Father: William Lea Alfred ELSTON
Bride Age: 64
Bride Approx. Birth Year: 1872
Bride Marital Status: W
Bride Father Name: Robert POPPERWELL
District: Adelaide
Symbol:
Book/Page: 365/594
William Ernest Elston passed away in 1955, in Perth, Western Australia.
(Source: WA BDM)
Name: William Ernest Elston
Birth Year: abt 1868
Age: 87
Death Place: Western Australia
Father's name: William L A
Mother's name: Eleanor M
Registration Year: 1955
Registration Place: Perth, Western Australia
Registration Number: 1192
Submitted 7 May 2016 by Timna Green
Biography contributed by Claude McKelvey
William Ernest Elston served in two contingents in the South African (Boer) war and again in WW1. First service was as a Private rising to Sergeant S.N. 27, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, Boer war. Second service, joined in South Africa as Lientenant (Supernumerary) with the 6th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, Boer war. Third service was as a Lieutenant rising to Captain, 16th Infantry Battalion AIF, WW1.
When he passed in Western Australia in May 1955 an obituary covering his life and military service was published in the North-Eastern Courier on 2 Jun 1955 with partial extract transcribed below (see links for full obituary)
Death of Mr. W. Elston- North-Eastern Courier (Perth), 2 Jun 1955, p. 1.
After a very lengthy illness, Mr. W. Elston of Pithara, died in Perth on Tuesday, May 24, aged 87 years. He had been farming in the Pithara district for well over 40 years and was held in the highest esteem by the whole of the community.
The late Mr. Elston served in World War 1 with the A.I.F. and held the rank of captain. He fought in the Gallipoli campaign and was captured. He was a foundation member of the Pithara sub-branch of the R.S.L. Mr. Elston was a widower, his wife having predeceased him several years ago.
His remains were interred in the Church of England portion of the Dalwallinu cemetery last Firday afternoon, several pioneers of the district attending at the graveside, where Rev. R. S. Judge read the service.......
....Father's Footsteps
The late Mr. Elston was born at Ararat, in Victoria, and was a son of the late Mr. W. Elston, who was manager of the National Bank of Queensland. Mr. Elston followed in his father's footsteps for a while so far as the bank was concerned and was a bank clerk at the age of 19 years, serving as a bank officer at Bairnsdale, Victoria. He became interested in stock and station work and left Victoria for Queensland where he was manager of Granada Station for about 24 years.
From Queensland Mr. Elston enlisted for active service in the Boer War. Arriving in Western Australia in 1912, he came to Pithara, settling on the land in that good district in August, 1912. When World War 1 broke out, he was one of the first to enlist from Pithara and his unit was the 16th Btn., commanded by Col. W. O. Mansbridge, who frequently called upon him whenever he passed through Pithara. Mr. Elston was one of the Anzacs who landed on Gallipoli on the early morning of April 25, 1915.
In the early years he was a playing member of both the East Pithara cricket and tennis clubs, acquitting himself very creditably at each of the sports mentioned. Indeed at 67 years of age, he was a competitor at the Easter tournament of the Dalwallinu and Ballidu Tennis Association at Pithara.....
William Ernest Elston was born on 10 May 1869 (though BDM Victoria register shows 1868) in Victoria, a son to William Leo Elston and Eleanor Maria Elston (nee Wigg). He married Rose Linton Pofferwell and they had at least 1 child.
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