William Thomas CONNOLLY

CONNOLLY, William Thomas

Service Numbers: 3583, 3585, 3585A
Enlisted: 8 August 1915
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 54th Infantry Battalion
Born: Burraga, New South Wales, Australia, 1897
Home Town: Cobar, Cobar, New South Wales
Schooling: Cobar Public School, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Miner
Died: Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916
Cemetery: Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery
Plot IV, Row A, Grave 1
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

8 Aug 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3583
2 Nov 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3585, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: ''
2 Nov 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3585, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney
19 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3585A, 54th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3585A awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19

William Connolly Identified

William Thomas Connolly was killed at Fromelles, acknowledged as the worst 24 hours ever for Australian forces, when some 5,000 casualties were suffered. He was one of the soldiers buried in a mass grave at Pheasant Wood. The Fromelles Project identified his remains in 2014 and he was reburied.

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Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon

54th Bn.Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

He was 19 [according to CWGC] and the son of Annie Sprague (formerly Connolly) of Surry Hills, Sydney and the late Thomas Connolly.

Biography contributed by Peter Rankin

William was only 17 years old when he was killed.  His family epitaph reads-  HE WHO DIES ON THE BATTLEFIELD, IS A SOLDIER AND A MAN.