HOWARD, William John Luther
| Service Number: | 4802 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 October 1915, Liverpool, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Crookwell, NSW, 2 December 1890 |
| Home Town: | Biddon, Gilgandra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Heart Failure, Gilgandra Hospital, Gilgandra, NSW, 1 July 1943, aged 52 years |
| Cemetery: |
Gilgandra Cemetery Methodist D |
| Memorials: | Crookwell War Memorial, Gilgandra Coo-ee March Gallery, Gilgandra District Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4802, 13th Infantry Battalion, Liverpool, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4802, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4802, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney |
Help us honour William John Luther Howard's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Daryl Jones
Son of John Howard and Charlotte Maude nee Vidler of Mountain View, Biddon via Gilgandra, New South Wales
William trained at Liverpool and embarked to Egypt aboard HMAT A15 Star of England on March 8, 1916 with the 13th Battalion. William left Alexandria for Marseilles and Etaples, France and was attached to the 12th Machine Gun Company and was present at Pozieres, Messines, Passchendaele, Polygon Wood and in most major battles of the Australian AIF in the Western Front.
He returned to Australia via Cape Town, South Africa, on the Commonwealth on April 13, 1919, arriving in Sydney on May 19. He was discharged on July 27 and received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
After returning from the war, William named his property Passchendaele, in a tribute to the many friends he lost there. He married his sweetheart, Minnie Fenton, and they had eight children. The property is still owned by William’s descendants.
DIGGERS
DEATH
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MR W. J. L. HOWARD
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WAS MEMBER OF COO-EE
MARCH
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As briefly Reported in last issue, the death occurred at the Gilgandra District Hospital during the early hours of Thursday, 1st July, of Mr. William John Luther Howard, of "Passchendaele," Tooraweenah. Deceased, who was a son of Mr. John Howard, of "Normanton," Gilgandra, was 52 years of age. The
cause of death was heart trouble, his heart having been affected by gas bombs during World War No. 1. Deceased was a member of the famous Coo-ee March which left Gilgandra in October, 1915, the idea being to recruit men for overseas service. They marched the 330 miles to Sydney, and from a mall beginning, ended up 277 strong. The late Mr. Howard was the last remaining member of that march residing in our district.
He left Australia in March, 1916, on the Star of England, and served with the A.I.F. until the Armistice was signed. Eighteen months after returning to Australia he married at Dubbo, Miss Minnie Edith Fenton, who survives him, together with a family of eight. One son is a trainee pilot in the R.A.A.F.
Deceased is also survived by four brothers and three sisters.
The funeral, which took place on Friday afternoon, was largely attended by town and district residents. A service was conducted at the Methodist Church by Rev. W. L. Jago, who also officiated at the graveside' in the Methodist portion of the Gilgiandra cemetery. The coffin was draped with the Union Jack, the flag being the one carried by the Coo-oes oh their anarch to Sydney.
Four returned soldiers, as a mark otf respect to their departed comrade, acted as pall bearers. They were Messrs. A. Lithgow, B. Lithgow, R. Irvin and R. Diggs. Many Diggers were included among the large number at the funeral. Funeral arrangements were carried out by Mr. A. H. Ross.
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