KING, William James
| Service Numbers: | 1721, 1721A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Mudgee, Mid-Western Regional, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Platelayer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 7 June 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Mudgee District Fallen Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1721, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1721, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1721, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 11 Sep 1916: | Honoured Military Medal, Battle for Pozières , Carrying messages through hostile artillery. | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement Corporal, 1721A, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1721A awm_unit: 45 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-06-07 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William James King and John C. King came from Mudgee NSW and both enlisted in the 45th Battalion. William King was dark in complexion and thus nicknamed “Darkie” or the “Black King”. His brother John was fair and red headed, thus his nickname was “Ginger” or the “Red King”
William had been awarded the Military Medal for bravery during the Battle of Pozieres, for running messages through the heaviest bombardments during August 1916.
One of their mates said “they were two of the best liked men in Company”. Another stated, “I knew the Kings well, they were both splendid fellows. They would stop at nothing.”
Apparently “Darkie” was killed outright by machinegun fire on the 7 June 1917. His brother “Ginger” witnessed his death and went out to recover his body later on. Ginger was apparently killed by an artillery shell and died within minutes. Although buried in the field by their mates, their graves were lost and they are both remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Darkie King was 27 years of age and Ginger King was 24 years old.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William James King was born about April 1890 at Mudgee. He worked withthe Perway Department of the NSW Government Railways.
He enlisted at Bathurst on 26th January 1916. He was unmarried and gave his mother as his next of kin. He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 14th April 1916 and reached Egypt where he was taken on the strength of the 45th Battalion on 26th May. Almost immediately the Battalion embarked at Alexandria and reached Marseilles on 8th June.
King was awarded the Military Medal on 11th September 1916. Recommended by Brigadier General Duncan Glasfurd, the citation is:
‘For devotion to duty while acting as a runner at Pozières during period 5th to 8th August 1916. During that time he was carrying messages from the front line to Battalion Headquarters and had to frequently had to pass through heavy hostile artillery barrages.’
In May 1917 he was promoted to Temporary Corporal.
He was killed in action on 7th June. William King’s brother was in the same unit with the sequential Service Number 1722 as they had enlisted together. Their tragic end is best told by their mates. Pte W.H. Kershaw (2930) stated:
‘These were brothers and I knew them very well as we used always be together. One of them, a Pte. We knew as Red King because he had red hair. The other was a Cpl. with black hair and we called him Black King.
I saw Red King about 20 minutes after he was killed on 9th. June just alongside a big strong point which we had taken over. Time about 3 p.m. A shell had got him and both legs were knocked off, also the back of his head. I believe he only lived 5 minutes. This was below Messines in Owles? front line. He was buried at the back of the trench by a Cpl. There was no cross on it then. Black King was killed two days earlier, but I saw nothing of him.’
Private B.C. Taylor gave a story slightly different in the detail:
‘I knew the two Kings. They were in D Co. One was dark and called Darkie. The other Jack was red headed and called Ginger. Darkie was killed outright at Messines on 7/6/17 and was found by his brother Jack who took Darkie’s pay book. Jack was sniped and killed outright within 30 feet of his brother.’
Pte J Cotterell (2571) adds the detail that:
‘His brother who was killed two days later had permission to go and find him and bury him.’
Whatever the burial arrangements the sites were lost and neither brother has a known grave and both are remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Belgium.
The mother of the two dead soldiers was anxious to know the burial details. In trying to convince her of the likelihood that remains would never be located, the military pointed out that for the memorial then in planning, in 1923, for the missing dead around Ploegsteert, it was anticipated that some 15,000 names would need to be engraved.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.