FELLOWS, William Alexander
| Service Number: | 5675 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, February 1878 |
| Home Town: | Wooroolin, South Burnett, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | War related illness, Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia, 8 July 1950 |
| Cemetery: |
Proston General Cemetery, Qld Unmarked grave |
| Memorials: | Wooroolin Great War Pictorial Honour Roll, Wooroolin WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5675, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 5675, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 4 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 5675, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane | |
| 26 Oct 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 42nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Aug 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 5675, 42nd Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, medically unfit - 'senility' |
William Alexander Fellows - Wooroolin WW1 Honour Board
Bill Fellows was born William Alexander Fellows 1874 at Bendigo, Victoria. TheFirst Qld record found is on the 1913 Qld electoral roll where he is living at Wooroolin, occupation labourer.
Bill, aged 38, joined the Australian Army on 11 Feb 1916 probably at Wooroolin but his records show accepted as medically fit at Brisbane.
Three months later he embarked for Overseas and returned to Australia 18 months later discharged medically unfit, disability – senility!
The next of kin on his Army records was recorded as Christy Jackson, Waroola, Kingaroy line and then changed to Miss Lena Jessen, Wooroolin. Presumably Christy Jackson should read Christy Jessen and we would probably be correct in thinking that Bill worked for the Jessen Family at Wooroolin.
NB: Christy Jessen also enlisted and was assigned to the 47th Battalion. Christian Jessen was “Killed in Action” on 7 Jun 1917 in Belgium, aged 25 years.
1919 Qld Electoral Roll shows William Alexander Fellows residing at Wooroolin – grazier. By 1934 he is living at Boondooma as a Labourer. In 1949 he is shown as a Retired Farmer living at Durong. Bill Fellows died 8 Jul 1950 and was buried at Proston cemetery 2 days later.
In my family photos I have a photo labled "Kerosene Jack? or Bill Fellows" on the back of this photo. Bottle in hand, pipe in mouth and gun over shoulder - wonderful photo!
Lest We forget.
Submitted 5 July 2022 by Carol Berry
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From Jacob Fellows (great nephew),
Australian Military History
Pte William Alexander Fellows.
Served with the 15th and 42nd Infantry Battalions AIF.
Fought on the Western Front. He was discharged due to Senility. He returned back to Australia with severe Shell Shock Which eventually killed him. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Kingaroy QLD.
Click images to start slideshow.