PASS, William
| Service Number: | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 January 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Horwich, Lancashire, England, 1895 |
| Home Town: | Geraldton, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | St. Paul's, Astley Bridge, Bolton, England |
| Occupation: | Shop assistant |
| Died: | Killed in action, Mouquet Farm, France, 3 September 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Aveluy Wood Cemetery, (Lancashire Dump), Mesnil-Martinsart Plot I, Row I, Grave No. 4. A NOBLE SACRIFICE |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Geraldton District Great War Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2000, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 1915: | Involvement Private, 2000, 11th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Apr 1915: | Embarked Private, 2000, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Fremantle | |
| 3 Sep 1916: | Involvement Corporal, 2000, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2000 awm_unit: 51 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-09-03 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William was the son of Richard and Ann Pass of Bolton, England. He had come out to Western Australia in 1914 and was working in Geraldton as a shop assistant.
He joined the 11th Battalion and landed on Gallipoli on 16 June 1915. He was evacuated from the Dardanelles to Egypt during August 1915 with dysentery and debility. He transferred to the 51st Battalion during the reorganisation of the AIF during early 1916.
He was reported missing during the very heavy fighting at Mouquet Farm on 3 September 1916, along with hundreds of other Australians who trapped in the German front line.
It is noted in his service file that he was reported to have been buried near Thiepval by members of the 3rd British Cavalry Division, during October 1916.
William’s remains were found in May 1923, and identified along with 13 other soldiers of the 51st Battalion and six unknown Australian soldiers. They were all reinterred in Avuley Wood Cemetery.
He was identified by the presence of his identity disc but there is no detail in his file concerning the discovery, presumably the Imperial War Graves Commission communicated directly with his parents in England.