MCKAY, William
| Service Number: | 1593 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 December 1914, Enlisted at Brisbane, QLD |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Monifieth, Angus, Scotland, 3 July 1868 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Dundee Public School, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 20 May 1915, aged 46 years |
| Cemetery: |
Shell Green Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsula Plot 1, Row C, Grave 13, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1593, 9th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Brisbane, QLD | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1593, 9th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1593, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane |
Help us honour William McKay's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Arrived in Australia aged 35 years
Son of William and Williamina B. McKay of 27 Milnbank Road, Dundee, Scotland. Brother of Margaret McKay of the same address
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Gary Lloyd
William McKay was born William Blair McKay in the parish of Monifieth, Angus, Scotland, which is on the north bank of the Firth of Tay about 11 kms east of Dundee.
William was the second of eight children born to William Hugh McKay, a carpenter, and Williamina Blair nee Mann, who married 7 Dec 1865 in Dundee.
The 1871 and 1881 Scotland Census show he was living with his familiy still in the parish of Monifieth. In 1891 he had moved out of home but still living in Monifieth in a common lodging house where he stated his occupation to be a general labourer, unemployed.
When William enlisted in the AIF on 31 Dec 1914 he was single and stated his occupation as a Baker. He was aged 46 years which was above the age limit, so he stated his age as 38. Less than five months later he was killed in action at Gallipoli still aged 46, but based on his enlistment age he would have been 38, but for some reason his headstone shows his age as 42, which is still 4 years younger than his real age.
Scotland's People website shows that William's siblings were (note the different surname for William's siblings that was registered):
| Surname | Forename | Mother's Maiden Name | Gender | Birth Year | Ref | RD Name |
| MACKAY | ELEANOR BARNETT | MANN | F | 1866 | 310 / 211 | Monifieth |
| MCKAY | WILLIAM BLAIR | MANN | M | 1868 | 310 / 172 | Monifieth |
| MACKAY | DAVID | MANN | M | 1870 | 310 / 76 | Monifieth |
| MACKAY | JEMIMA | MANN | F | 1872 | 310 / 28 | Monifieth |
| MACKAY | CECILIA ROSS | MANN | F | 1874 | 310 / 36 | Monifieth |
| MACKAY | ALFRED | MANN | M | 1877 | 310 / 222 | Monifieth |
| MACKAY | ISABELLA | MANN | F | 1879 | 310 / 103 | Monifieth |
| MACKAY | LOUISA INGLIS | MANN | F | 1881 | 310 / 86 | Monifieth |
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