ROURKE, William Harold
| Service Number: | 38649 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 May 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 11th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Albany, Western Australia, 11 December 1899 |
| Home Town: | Tambellup, Broomehill-Tambellup, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Teacher |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, 13 October 1988, aged 88 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 1 May 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 38649, Field Artillery Brigades | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Nov 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 38649, Field Artillery Brigades, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: SS Indarra embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 26 Nov 1917: | Embarked Gunner, 38649, Field Artillery Brigades, SS Indarra, Melbourne | |
| 29 Jan 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Gunner, 38649, Field Artillery Brigades, embarked Alexandria for Taranto per HMT Abassieh, then entrained for Cherbourg, and embarked HMT Price George for Southampton | |
| 27 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Gunner, 38649, 11th Field Artillery Brigade , WiA France – 'Gunner William Harold Rourke, has been severely wounded, both legs being fractured: and that he is in the Edmonton 3 Military Hospital’ (Trove) | |
| 23 Mar 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Gunner, 38649, 11th Field Artillery Brigade , HMT Czar to Alexandria, trans shipped by HS Dongola to Australia | |
| 26 Feb 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Gunner, 38649, 11th Field Artillery Brigade |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Gunner William Harold Rourke (Service No:38649) had served in the Cadets and Militia before enlisting in the AIF on 1 May 1917. Gunner Rourke served with 11th Field Artillery Brigade in Egypt and France, and was WiA on 27 September 1918 in Frnace. Evacuated to England, Gunner Rourke was treated at Edmonton 3 Military Hospital and embarked for the RTA on 23 March 1919. Gunner Rourke was Discharged on 26 February 1920. In WWI he served in the ACMF as a Lieutenant (Service No:W47691) with 8 WA Battalion VDC (30 March 1942 - 15 October 1945).
Bill was born in Albany, Western Australia in 1899, second of six children of Henry Joseph Rourke (b1867 in Ballarat, Victoria) and Matilda (Tilly) Moroney (b1871 in Bendigo, Victoria). Henry (a Moulder) and Tilly married in 1895 in Fremantle, WA and lived in Albany and Guildford where Henry worked as an Iron Moulder. By 1916 they had settled in Tambellup, WA where Henry was a Farmer.
Bill was a Teacher in Tambellup when he enlisted in the AIF, and following his Discharge he returned to teaching. In 1924 Bill was a member of the Indian Motorcycle Club, serving as Secretary and President, and in Pingelly in 1927 he married Eva (Billy) Helen Williams (b1903 in York, WA) - Eva was a Teacher in Perth and Collie. Bill and Billy lived in Yanmah and Merredin where Bill was a Teacher, and were in Boulder - where Bill was Head Teacher - in 1941. By 1949 Bill and Billy had settled in Perth, Bill was Inspector of Schools. Bill died in 1988 and Billy in 1999.
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