BAKER, William John
| Service Number: | 14 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | London, England, 13 September 1877 |
| Home Town: | Doomben, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Telephone mechanic |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 24 June 1940, aged 62 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Toowong (Brisbane General) Cemetery, Queensland |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 14, 1st Divisional Signal Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep 1914: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1st Divisional Signal Company | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Sergeant, 14, 1st Divisional Signal Company, HMAT Karroo, Melbourne | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Sergeant, 14, 1st Divisional Signal Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Karroo embarkation_ship_number: A10 public_note: '' | |
| 2 May 1915: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sergeant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 2 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 14, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), ANZAC / Gallipoli, Shell shock and asthma | |
| 14 Feb 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 14, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), MU, Due to asthma |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From AWM
Sergeant William John Baker was born in Middlesex, England in 1876. At age 18, he joined the 1st Somerset Light Infantry and served in Punjab where he was awarded the India Medal, Punjab Frontier 1897-1898. After eight and a half years of service he was discharged being declared medically unfit for duty due to asthma.
He migrated to Australia in 1910. He was working as a telephone mechanic in Brisbane when he enlisted in the AIF on 22 August 1914 aged 34. Following training at Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria, he embarked with the 1st Divisional Signal Company from Melbourne aboard HMAT Karroo (A10) on 20 October 1914 and landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.
On 2 August, Sgt Baker suffered an asthma attack and while being moved to a clearance station, was rendered unconscious by a nearby shell explosion for several hours. He was evacuated to England and admitted to King George Hospital in London with shell shock on 30 August and discharged to Woodcote Park convalescent camp on 13 September. He was invalided to Australia from England on 7 November 1915 aboard HMAT Runic (A54) and discharged in February of the following year.
William John Baker was severely injured on 24 June 1940 when the car in which he was escorting his daughter to her wedding was involved in a crash. He refused to be taken to hospital until the ambulance had had attended to his injured daughter and he died of his injuries the next day. His daughter survived and married later in hospital.
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