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From François Berthout

Cpl 579 William John Knapton 
23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, C Company,
6th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division
 
The Somme, hell of fire and steel, it was for millions of men the absolute horror of once peaceful fields which turned into putrid quagmires, a slaughterhouse in which fell a whole generation of young men who shed their blood and their tears through the poppies among which stand today, in silence, row after row, thousands of white graves, silent but eternal witnesses of the courage and sacrifices of so many sons, husbands, brothers who together served with pride and bravery until their last breath and who, after this endless nightmare that was their war and that was the great war, found the peace of their last resting places on the soil of a friendly country which will be at their never grateful for everything they did for us.Gone but not and never forgotten, they still stand proud and young and it is with the utmost respect, with the utmost care and love that I would always watch over them to tell who they were and what they did for us so that they will be remembered forever for what they were, exceptional men, heroes and for what they will always be through my eyes and in my heart, each of them, my boys of the Somme.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and the deepest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today for our tomorrow. I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Corporal number 579 William John Knapton who fought in the 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion,C Company, 6th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division, and who died of his wounds 106 years ago, on January 11, 1917 at the age of 23 on the Somme front.

William John Knapton was born on January 22, 1893 in Caulfield, Victoria, Australia, and was baptized on March 12, 1893 in St Mary's Caulfield.He was the son of William Knapton and Eliza Knapton (née Trinham), and had a brother, Leslie Knapton.the Trinham family, were the first orchardists in Upper Beaconsfield. William first worked in the Mystic Park district and was in the employ of Mr H. Angus for two or three years for the purpose of getting general farming experience. He afterwards took up land on the Tresco Estate, which he worked as an orchardist up to the time of enlisting and lived in Cole Street, Elsternwick, Victoria.

William enlisted on February 26, 1915 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, as Private in the 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, C Company, and after a two month training period at Broadmeadows Camp, north of Melbourne, he embarked with his unit from Melbourne, on board HMAT A14 Euripides on May 10, 1915 and proceeded to join the MEF (Mediterranean Expeditionary Force) at Gallipoli.

On August 30, 1915, William and the 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion were disembarked on the Gallipoli Peninsula, however too late to take part in the August offensive so its role was purely defensive. However the 23rd and the 24th battalion were allocated one of the most dangerous parts of the Anzac front line, Lone Pine. The fighting here was so dangerous and exhausting that battalions were relieved every day. In addition to combat casualties, disease was a major factor too with enteric fever / dysentery taking its toll in parallel.The 23rd manned Lone Pine, alternating with the 24th Battalion, until they left Gallipoli in December 1915.

After evacuating from Gallipoli on board "Minnewaska", William and the 23rd Battalion were sent to Egypt and were disembarked in Alexandria on January 10, 1916 and two months later, joined the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) on March 19 and embarked on board "Lake Michigan" then proceeded overseas for France.

On March 26, 1916, William arrived in France and was disembarked in Marseilles and were sent to Fleurbaix on April 10 and relieved the 16th Battalion of the Royal Scots in a relatively calm area interrupted by enemy snipers and machine gun fire in wet and cold weather then were relieved on April 29 by the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion and marched for Fort Rompu where they were billeted as Divisional Reserve until June 10.

On June 11, 1916, William and the 23rd Battalion entered the trenches of the "Rue De Bois" sector, near Fleurbaix and it is noted in the battalion's war diary "Attitude of enemy, not aggressive, no shelling on this sector , wet weather. "But a few days later, the Germans began to severely bombard the positions of the 23rd Battalion with large caliber shells and gas shells but the men held this area courageously until July 3 and were relieved by the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade then joined Steenwerke where they were billeted until July 8 and marched through Merris, Renescure, Heuringhem, St Omer, Calais, Boulogne and arrived in the Somme, in Amiens by train on July 11.

After arriving at Amiens station, William and the 23rd Battalion marched through Saleux, Ailly-Sur-Somme, Rainneville, Puchevillers, Lealvillers, and on July 27, 1916, they entered the trenches of Pozieres for "The Big Push" where the battalion was engaged mainly on carrying duties in the first phase of the Battle, but suffered its heaviest casualties of the war during the fighting around Mouquet Farm in late August, where the toll was so great that less than 10% of the battalion was comprised of "originals" at the end of the campaign.

Mouquet Farm was the scene of intensive fighting during the Somme campaign, from July through to early September 1916. A German stronghold, just 1000 yards to the west of Pozières, the capture of this site was seen as a prelude to the Allies' objective of capturing Thiepval. Mouquet Farm, otherwise known to the Aussie troops as "Moo Cow Farm", protected the rear of Thiepval. The well-held belief was if the farm was seized, then the capture of Thiepval would ensue.

For just over six weeks, as part of the Battle of the Somme, between July 23 and September 4, 1916 three Australian divisions,the First, Second and Fourth, including 36 individual infantry battalions, fought the Germans at Pozières, on the Pozières heights and then along the ridge towards Mouquet Farm.

The Australians Divisions mounted 19 attacks on the German positions that surrounded Mouquet Farm, none of which resulted in capturing this position.

On July 23,1916 Pozières fell to the First Australian Division, then on August 4, the Windmill site was captured. The fighting continued, and attack after attack, small gains were sometimes made, but the advance north towards Mouquet Farm and Thiepval was frustratingly slow, often a mere crawling pace.
The German troops, realising they could attack on three sides, were able to concentrate their fire on the narrow front that the Australian troops were operating on. Each approach that was made on the farm was visible to the German artillery observers. The Australians were perilously exposed to enemy fire, and the shelling they received was brutal.

Tactically, Mouquet Farm was a significant location. Beneath the farm were a series of cellars, and by incorporating these cellars into their trench system the German forces were able to establish a full underground network of interconnecting rooms. Above the ground was an impressive vantage point and below the ground was the ideal protection from the shelling ripping through the air above.

The Germans were so heavily bombarding the area that Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Murray Ross (August 16, 1867-November 15, 1933), commanding officer of the 51st Australian Infantry Battalion, wrote to his Brigadier that "it is my genuine (not depressed) opinion that it would be a mistake to further press the offensive in this salient until communications and supplies of food and ammunition could be improved."

The Australian troops attacked again on the 12th and 13th of August, and the Fourth Australian Division mounted an ambitious plan to take the farm on 14th August. Three battalions were to be involved, and although already so depleted in numbers and exhausted, they advanced, but to no avail and by early September, Mouquet Farm was still under a German stronghold.

Through the series of operations to capture Mouquet Farm, the Australian Divisions kept rotating around, and in the end, more than 50,000 men were involved in the assaults on the farm.

In just over 40 days of fighting around Pozières and Mouquet farm, the Australian casualties registered a shocking number: 23,000. Of these, 11,000 casualties were suffered by the First, Second and Fourth Australian Divisions in the series of attacks mounted on Mouquet Farm alone.

It was not until the end of September, that Mouquet Farm was secured by the British troops, when their advance bypassed the farm, capturing Thiepval and leaving it as an isolated outpost.

The horrific loss of life and what ended up as a mostly futile attack on Mouquet Farm, is perhaps best articulated in the official 21st Australian Infantry Battalion history:
"We have been in hotter holes since then but never has the Battalion suffered under intense shellfire for such long periods and with such little movement. The casualty lists bear this out. The conditions were vile. The weather being hot and everyone fully occupied on other tasks, the dead lay unburied for weeks and the stench was frightful. To come through a period such as this and then go on fighting is evidence of the temper of the British armies in general and of our unit in particular … under the heading of the First Battle of the Somme is told the story of our first and heaviest try out. The time which is vividly imprinted in the memories of those who saw the whole show through."

Unfortunately, on August 23, 1916, during the terrible fighting for the capture of Mouquet Farm, William was seriously wounded by a shell to his left arm and was evacuated to the 23rd Casualty Clearing Station and admitted to the 1st ANZAC Rest Station on August 30,then transferred to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station and the 20th Ambulance Train on August 31 and evacuated to Wimereux where he was admitted to the 14th General Hospital on September 3.

On September 23, 1916, he was admitted to the 1st Convalescent Depot in Boulogne and after recovering, he was sent to the 2nd Australian Divisional Base Depot in Etaples on October 28 then joined his unit on November 1 in Buire, Somme, and was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on November 24 at Dernancourt then promoted to the rank of Corporal on November 26.

On December 1, 1916, William and the 23rd Battalion marched for Flesselles, near Amiens, where they were billeted until December 18, then joined Ribemont the next day, Fricourt on December 21, and entered the trenches of Trones Wood on December 24 and occupied positions known as "Needle Trench", "Zenith Trench", "Windmill Trench", "Rose Trench", but less than a month later, on January 10, 1917, when William's unit was to be relieved of the "Needle trench", a German shell fell on this position and William was seriously wounded and was evacuated to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station at Mericourt-l'Abbe,Somme, suffering from multiple shell wounds and died the next day,on January 11, 1917 at the age of 23.

Today, Corporal William John Knapton rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-l'Abbe, Somme, and shares his grave with the Serjeant number TT/03540 Henry Hector Manton who served in the Army Veterinary Corps, 2nd Veterinary Hospital, attached to the 250th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery and who died 106 years ago,on January 12, 1917 at the age of 22 on the Somme front.

After William's death, his obituary was published on January 30, 1917 as follows:
"Our soldiers,Death of Corporal William John Knapton,
Much regret was expressed by all who knew him, when it became known that Corporal William J. Knapton, late of Tresco, had died of wounds. The sad event took place on 11th January, at the 38th Casualty Clearing Station, France. Cpl. Knapton at the time of his death, was in his 24th year. His parents, Mr and Mrs J. W. Knapton, live in Elsternwick. The deceased young soldier came to the Mystic Park district about five years ago, and was in the employ of Mr H. Angus for two or three years for the purpose of getting general farming experience. He afterwards took up land on the Tresco Estate, which he worked up to the time of enlisting. He felt it his duty to obey his country's call and joined the ranks about 18 months ago. He was a very fine, steady, energetic and intelligent young man, loved and respected by all his acquaintances. He was wounded in the battle of Pozieres, in July last. Having recovered sufficiently, he returned to the front, where he was again wounded, this time, unfortunately, fatally. Corporal Knapton, was a nephew of the Rev. T. P. Trinham, who was for many years Baptist minister in Kerang."

William, proud and in the prime of your life, it is with bravery and determination that for Australia and France you answered the call of fate and the call of duty to do your bit on the battlefields of the great war alongside your comrades, first on the blood-red sands of Gallipoli then in the mud and steel quagmires of the fields of the Somme through which a whole generation of men were mowed down among the poppies. With conviction and courage, these men who came from far away fought and served proudly for their country, for peace and freedom and charged fearlessly, united in comradery under rains of bullets and the dismal howl of artillery in which an unspeakable hell broke loose,they stood tall in the face of their fates, their eyes turned towards the horizon and towards the enemy trenches, bayonets forward they ran without stopping in the face of the fury and the darkness of a world at war which consumed everything in madness.In the cries of pain, in the tears of their friends, of their brothers in arms who lay wounded on no man's land, they could not stop and the tears in their eyes, the rage in their hearts, they went forward under lead and hurricanes of steel, carrying the weight of war on their young shoulders, brothers and fathers fell one after the other on the fields of the Somme, they sacrificed their youth, gave all they had and for their families, for their comrades, for their loved ones, for us they gave their lives in the mud and barbed wire.In the wet and cold trenches, among the rats and the lice, the faces blackened with the mud and the blood of their friends, they fought and suffered, they shared doubts and fears but they never backed down and found in friendship and the brotherhood that bound them, the strength and courage to overcome the hell in which they lived day and night and on their young faces, kept their smile and their sense of humor in the face of death and the horrible sight of their best friends who lay lifeless in pools of blood, too young men hanged in barbed wire and who went over the top with admirable bravery and who paid the supreme sacrifice on the parapets.From Pozieres to Amiens, on the entire front of the Somme, the Australians, our Diggers fought with extreme courage but the price was high and thousands of them did not have the chance to return home but made their country proud. They were admired and loved by their French brothers in arms and by the French people and the love, the respect we have for these young men and for Australia will never end, the friendship that unites our two countries is an honor and represents so much to me, this friendship is the legacy of the Poilus and the Diggers who fought and fell together and who rest in peace side by side.I will always watch over the sons of Australia who here on these sacred soils rest in peace and who for our old country did and give so much, they will always be remembered with love and gratitude and their names, their heritage, their stories , will always be put in the light so that they are never forgotten, so that their names live forever, the Australian flag will always fly proudly above the fields of the Somme. Thank you so much William,for everything. At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him, we will remember them.