WRIGHTSON, Roy James
| Service Number: | 2853 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 July 1915, Enlisted at Perth, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Fremantle, Western Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | East Fremantle, East Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Fremantle State School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Stationer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 30 May 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, Bethune, Nord Pas de Calais Plot I, Row H, Grave 4 Rev. W.K. Douglas officiated |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, East Fremantle Municipality Roll of Honour, Fremantle Fallen Sailors & Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2853, Enlisted at Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2853, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2853, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Fremantle |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Roy James ‘Nugget’ Wrightson was a legendary footballer from the East Fremantle club prior to the war.
Not long after arriving in France, on 30 May 1916, four days before it was relieved from front-line duty, the 11th Battalion came under a fierce German artillery bombardment. Two officers and 36 other ranks were killed in an incessant hail of high explosive and shrapnel fire. Over 100 meters of frontline parapet was completely destroyed. Those who died were all killed near la Cordonnerie Farm. Charles Bean, the Australian WW1 historian wrote “The great bombs dug huge craters in the soft agricultural soil and the flimsy breastworks [of the trenches] and shelters were flung up into the air in shredded and splintered fragments.”
Roy Wrightson was one of those killed. His brother, also an East Fremantle footballer, 2860 Pte. Arthur Harry Wrightson 48th Battalion AIF was later killed in action 12 October 1917, aged 32.
Two other brothers, Sidney and William Wrightson also served.
Biography
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
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