Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Wilfred Edward (Bill) Rix was born in Clare, South Australia, on the 2nd of March 1882, as the 4th child of 7 to Ellen Rix (nee Porter) and Edward Cecil Rix. Bill had three older siblings (one of these was his brother Cecil William Rix, his nominated next of kin) and three younger ones. Bill’s father died on the 31/8/1906, and three years later, Bill’s mother died on the 26/12/1909, whilst having been at Parkside lunatic asylum since 19/6/1909. Bill spent his adulthood in Evandale, SA as a labourer. He identified his religion as Anglican.

Bill enlisted at the Oaklands army base camp on the 16th of December 1914, without any previous training. He was admitted into the 10th Battalion, 1st Division, 3rd Brigade and trained at Oaklands for two months until he departed on the HMAT with his Battalion for Egypt on the 19th of February 1915. Bill trained in Egypt for three months with his Battalion until the 7th of May, when the 10th Battalion was taken on strength to the Dardanelles, the fighting was intense and brutal. The 10th Battalion war diary quotes “they continue to shell us every day”, and Bill was shot in the face on the 28th of May and admitted to a hospital in Cairo on the 8th of June, returning to his Battalion on the 26th of June continuing to fight.

Once the ANZACs were evacuated from Gallipoli on the 15th of December, the 10th Battalion sailed back to Egypt where they stayed until transferred to Perham Downs training base in England.

On the 11th of September 1916, the 10th Battalion was marched to Belgium where sickness was common among soldiers in Europe. Bill was taken to French hospitals due to an inflamed larynx on the 30th of November. After rejoining his unit on the 4th of January 1917, Bill was left to fight in snowy, cold conditions. Bill was again admitted to French hospitals for ‘sore feet’, a very serious condition known as ‘trench foot’ on the 2nd of February and returned on the 16th. Trench foot is when there is prolonged exposure to damp, cold, or wet conditions, making feet swell and decay.

On the 5th of May 1917, the 10th Battalion was part of a successful operation where the right flank of the Allied trenches was to move up to the German lines and infiltrates their trenches. This operation resulted in a gunshot wound to Bill’s left leg, he was sailed to a hospital in London for the injury on the 29th of May. Bill was granted with furlough (a period of leave or temporary absence granted to a soldier) from the 7th to the 21st of July. Whilst in England Bill met and married Martha Rix, but there are no Australian records to indicate this.  He applied for safe passage for his wife to sail to Australia to meet him, but when she arrived, Bill ‘could not be located’ and when Bill died, he still stated on his records ‘single’.

After Bill had recovered from his injury, he joined the Australian Flying Corps on the 21st of August 1917. After a traumatic injury or experience, a lot of soldiers thought they would be safer if they were up in the air away from battle where they could still have the honour of fighting.

On the 16th of December Bill was attached to the 29th training squadron to learn about aviation. After 10 months of training, Bill was transferred to the 2nd squadron to fight for the last five months of the war. The major battle that Bill took part in for the AFC was the Second Battle of Marne, the 2nd squadron’s role being to assist the French in holding the German troops from hitting their capital. It was successful and the Allies counter attacked by driving the Germans back 10km until the 3rd of August.

Bill finally returned to Australia on the K.I Hind on the 14th of June 1919 and was discharged on the 13th of August.

On 9th of October 1939 at 57 years old, Bill enlisted for service in WWII. Bill was still a labourer and single, but no longer had brown hair and instead grey, and was also the same weight but 2 inches shorter. Interestingly, during his job as a labourer, Bill lost his middle finger on his right hand, this and his age had the recruitment officer deeming him ‘unfit for overseas service’. Bill’s new NOK was his sister Hilda because Cecil died in 1935. Bill was enlisted with the 25th Garrison Battalion and was stationed at Wayville for majority of his service in 1940. In 1942, Bill was marched out to Loveday Internment Camp as a guard, but only spent six months there until July 1942 when he was discharged as ‘unfit for service’ due to his age.

Bill died when he was 87 years old on the 4th of August 1969, at the Var Veterans House in Myrtle Bank. Bill was buried at Centennial Park, Derrick Gardens, Path 13, 785A, on the 5th of August 1969.

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