Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

WILLIAM FRANCIS RIEUSSETT (b. 21 Dec 1889 d. ?? )

William Rieusset, like his brother, lived in Australia at the outbreak of WW1. He joined up on 8 Sep 1914 one month short of his 26th birthday. He was given Service No 295.

He was declared medically fit ‘Subject to him producing duplicate teeth’?
He was assigned to 16th Battalion. He sailed from Australia on 22 Dec 1914 on board SS Ceramic to take part in the Gallipoli campaign.

On 28 Apr 1915 he received a gunshot wound to the right arm and was medically evacuated to the 1st Southern Hospital in England (this was the University of Birmingham).

Whilst in England he met and married a lady named Gladys Myrtle Broach of 26 East Street, Weymouth. They had a daughter.

On 23 Sept 1916 he was posted to France to join 48th Battalion at Etaples on 17 Oct 1916. He was admitted to hospital (sick) for the month of Feb 1917.

On 11 Apr 1917 he was wounded again on the first day of the Battle for Bullecourt (between Arras and Cambrai). This time he received a gunshot wound to the right hand. He was treated at the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne and back in England. Returned to France 23 Nov 1917.

He returned to Australia on 13 Mar 1918. He was discharged at Perth, Australia on 4 June 1918 as medically unfit. He was suffering from Epididymo Orchitis (swollen testicles) which is as a result of sexually transmitted disease.

He never contacted his wife in England again. After the war she presumed, he was dead. She petitioned the War Office for his medals only to be told that he was NOT dead but discharged in Australia. No contact was ever made, and he never claimed his own medals!

The First Attack on Bullecourt, 11 April 1917 – 48th Australian Battalion
Despite the appalling mess made on 10 April, with only slight changes of plan the attack was ordered to take place 24 hours later. Patrols had now confirmed that some gaps did exist in the wire, and thus the Australian infantry was ordered to advance 15 minutes after the tanks had started, regardless of the tanks progress. But again, only four tanks of eleven (one was already out of action) arrived on time to deploy as ordered. Three of them were in the area of 4th Australian Brigade.

Struggling forward, the tanks made little impact, although their appearance encouraged the German artillery to switch attention onto them, which perhaps assisted the Australian infantry to some extent. At 4.45am the infantry began their attack, overtaking the few tanks and finding them of no assistance in having breached the wire. Taking advantage of the gaps that had been cut by shellfire in the first wire defences and finding some ways through the second set of wire, the 14th and 16th Battalions AIF (4th Brigade) got into the enemy trenches and fought with bomb and bayonet; they were joined there by elements of the 13th and 15th Battalions.

Next to them and possibly due to orders which were not clear, 46th Battalion AIF of 12th Brigade with 48th in support waited for the tanks to arrive before they advanced. Even by 5.10am only one had appeared, and orders were given for the infantry to go. With the British artillery by now having lifted, these two units met with heavy German fire.

Both brigades sustained heavy casualties but by 6.50am they were on their objectives in the Hindenburg Line, although elements of 46th and 48th had not reached theirs, mainly due to losses. A bombing party of 4th Battalion advanced 150 yards along the trenches toward Riencourt but in general the attack was held in the Hindenburg Line and few reinforcements could get through. Desperate calls for a renewed infantry barrage to assist a further advance were denied, as reports had been received that tanks and British troops were now in Bullecourt: these reports were false. The same news encouraged 62nd Division to advance into Bullecourt, but this soon proved an impossibility.

Encouraged by early reports, Gough ordered the 4th Cavalry Division (Kennedy) to begin to move: its Lucknow Brigade was to move first from its position west of Ecoust St Mein, with a view to advancing to Fontaine-les-Croisilles and Cherisy. An advanced party attempted to move forward to cut the wire 3/4 mile east of Bullecourt but lost 20 men to machine gun fire. Eight men of the 17th Lancers were hit as the regiment moved up past Longatte but could get no further.
With little artillery support the Australians faced a series of German counter attacks that developed from around 10am. Casualties and a dwindling supply of bombs led to the units of 4th Brigade gradually withdrawing; many men fell or were taken as POWs. 48th Battalion was surrounded and cut off, yet amazingly a remnant managed to withdraw under very heavy fire.

In this ill-planned, ill-managed affair the 4th Australian Brigade suffered 2258 men killed, wounded or missing out of some 3000 who went into action. 12th Brigade lost another 909. In all German casualties are believed to have amounted to 750. On 13 April the battered 4th Australian Division was relieved by the 2nd
SS Ceramic Troopship