23945
DEERE, William Arthur
| Service Number: | 1739 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Strathalbyn,South Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | North Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Corporation WW1 Honour Board, Lower North Adelaide War Memorial WW1, North Adelaide Christ Church Honour Board, North Adelaide Saint Cyprian's Anglican Church Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Apr 1915: | Involvement Private, 1739, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1915: | Embarked Private, 1739, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 1739, 4th Pioneer Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
William Arthur Deere was born in 1875 in Strathalbyn, South Australia. Before enlisting in December 1914 at the age of 39, he worked as a labourer and lived in Lower North Adelaide. Deere served as a Private in the 10th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement, and his religion was Church of England. There is little information about his family or schooling, and he did not marry. During the war, he served at Gallipoli Peninsula and later on the Western Front, where he experienced illness and hospitalisation.
William Arthur Deere enlisted in December 1914 in South Australia at the age of 39 and was assigned to the 10th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement, with the rank of Private. At enlistment, he was described as 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 68 kilograms, with blue eyes, brown hair, and a fair complexion. After initial training in Australia, he embarked for overseas service and eventually arrived at the Gallipoli Peninsula in August 1915. The 10th Battalion was an infantry unit, meaning Deere’s role involved frontline combat duties such as defending trenches, participating in attacks, and enduring harsh battlefield conditions. However, shortly after arriving at Gallipoli, Deere became seriously ill. In September 1915, he was admitted to hospital with diarrhoea, a common and dangerous illness caused by poor sanitation and contaminated food and water. He was evacuated from Gallipoli to Mudros and then transferred to Cairo, Egypt, where he spent several weeks recovering before eventually returning to duty.
After recovering, Deere continued his service and was later deployed to the Western Front in France, where fighting conditions were extremely dangerous and physically demanding. During his service, he experienced further health issues and periods of hospitalisation. In 1917, while on leave in England, he was admitted to hospital at Bulford resulting in over 100 days of treatment. Despite this, he was eventually returned to duty. Records from early 1918 show that he was again admitted to hospital.