18181
FITZGERALD, William Maurice
| Service Number: | 3191 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 June 1915, at Keswick |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Nhill, Victoria, Australia, October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Laborer |
| Memorials: | Prospect Roll of Honour A-G WWI Board |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3191, 10th Infantry Battalion, at Keswick | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 3191, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 3191, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3191, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
When he enlisted, William Maurice Fitzgerald was 25 years old, and lived in Prospect, South Australia, despite being born in Nhill, Victoria. He was single and had no children, meaning that his mother, Emmeline Fitzgerald, was his next of kin. There are no records of his father to be found. William was a part of the Church of England and remained in it for his whole life. William was a man of average height for his time, measuring at about 5 foot 7.5 inches. His hair was brown and his eyes were blue. William was a labourer, meaning he did manual work. He had never previously served in the army, meaning this was his first time. He enlisted in the army in the 30th of June 1915. After enlisting he was giving the service number, 3191. He was then given the rank of, ‘Private’, and inserted into the 10th Infantry Battalion. On the 14th of September, William embarked on the ship HMAT Ballarat A70, from Adelaide.
There is no record of William until 25th of November 1915. Here he was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion at Mudros, meaning he probably never went to Gallipoli. On the 26th of February 1916, back in Egypt, William was transferred from the 10th Battalion to the 50th Battalion. He travelled with the 50th to France in June and on the 14th of August 1916, William was appointed the rank Lance Corporal.
On the 4th of September 1916, William was wounded in action, while in France. Two days later he was brought to the Ontario Military Hospital in London. He was diagnosed with a gunshot wound in his left shoulder. He was dicharged form hospital in November 1916 but stayed in England to train. He rejoined the 50th Battalion on 1 September 1917 and fought at Ypres. In December 1917 he was sent to hospital with what was diagnosed as an ulcer of the cornea. For the rest of the war he was transferred from hospital to hospital receiving treatment for the injury. Finally, on the 24th of August 1918, William embarked to return home from the war, due to his defective vision. He was discharged from the AIF in February 1919.
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