CHURCHLAND, William John
| Service Number: | 60 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 January 1916, An original member of A Company |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 36th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia , 13 January 1898 |
| Home Town: | Dubbo, Dubbo Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Hairdresser |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 12 October 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Plot XXI, Row A, Grave 12A. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Dubbo District School Honor Roll, Dubbo Memorial Drive & Rose Garden |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 60, 36th Infantry Battalion, An original member of A Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 60, 36th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
| 13 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 60, 36th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Beltana, Sydney | |
| 12 Oct 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 60, 36th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 60 awm_unit: 36th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-10-12 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William John Churchland was known to his family and friends as ‘Jack’ Churchland. He was the son of John James and Florence Ada Churchland of Dubbo, New South Wales.
His older brother, 3629 Pte. Albert Vincent Churchland 54th Battalion AIF, was killed in action on the Somme, 8 April 1918, aged 22.
William enlisted before he was 18 years of age. He was an original member of the 36th Battalion and arrived in England with the rest of the 3rd Division during July 1916. The 36th Battalion was sent to France during November 1916.
‘Jack’ Churchland was wounded at Messines on 10 June 1917 and returned to his unit about a month later. He was made a Lance Corporal on 1 August 1917, at only 19 years of age.
He was wounded again during an advance on Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. He was seen by a number of men to be hit by shell shrapnel, and some spoke to him as he was being carried out. He was very popular with his mates, and he was talking and conscious on the stretcher.
The 17th Casualty Clearing Station reported that he was admitted with three severe shell wounds and he was in a critical condition which did not improve till he died at 10.20 pm on the night of 12 October 1917.
William John Churchland’s mother, Florence Ada, was awarded a pension of 14 shillings per fortnight.
She wrote a heart-rending letter to the AIF during February 1918, which is in the service file of her son, “….if you could tell me if he died in a Hospital or where he was berried I will never feal contented until I find out if he was berried well or left lay in the fealds. It is very hard on a poor mother to think of her poor Boyes and can’t go to see them so dear Man do try and see if you can find out for me about him for I never rest until I do know how he layes or if he is resting….”