FINLAY, William Lockhart
| Service Number: | 33629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 January 2017 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 4th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 5 August 1895 |
| Home Town: | Epping, Parramatta, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Engineering draughtsman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 1 November 1917, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Ypres (Plot VI, Row D, Grave 20), Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Epping War Memorial, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 11 May 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 33629, Medium Trench Mortar Batteries, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked Gunner, 33629, Medium Trench Mortar Batteries, HMAT Shropshire, Melbourne | |
| 1 Nov 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 33629, 4th Field Artillery Brigade, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 33629 awm_unit: 4th Australian Field Artillery Brigade awm_rank: Gunner awm_died_date: 1917-11-01 | |
| 8 Jan 2017: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 33629 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
William Lockhart Finlay (SERVICE NUMBER: 33629)
Finlay was born on August 5, 1895, and resided in 'Airlie', Victoria Street, Epping. He lived with his mother, Catherine Elizabeth Finlay and his father, Walter William Finlay, where he worked as an engineering draughtsman and a member of the staff for the Conservation and Irrigation Commission of NSW. He formerly worked in the military as part of the Infantry and Engineers, and Citizen Forces, (4) a group of volunteers and local militias that supported the regular army by helping train new recruits and home defence. (5)
Finlay enlisted into the military on December 29, 1916, (6) He underwent basic World War One military training, which included: physical fitness drills, learning how to handle guns safely and effectively, basic survival and trench warfare skills, and many more essential skills for a soldier fighting in war. (7)
Finlay’s unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on board the HMAT A9 Shropshire on May 11, 1917. (8) He fought in the Battle of Passchendaele, a battle between the Allies and German Empire on the Western Front which happened between July 31 and November 10, 1917. (9) Famous for the horrible weather conditions, including heavy rain storms and muddy ground which made fighting extremely difficult. (10)
Finlay was assigned to the Medium Trench Mortar Batteries which was a unit which played a massive role in supporting the infantry by disrupting enemy positioning with indirect fire, destroying fortifications to force relocation and destroying machine gun nests. (14) Equipped with 6-inch mortars, they wore down the enemy defences, allowing infantry units to advance more effectively.
Later on in the battle, he joined the 4th Field Artillery Brigade, continuing his role of supporting infantry with artillery fire. (15) Unfortunately, on November 1, 1917, William Lockhart Finlay died in action at twenty two years of age in Zonnebeke, Belgium effectively ending his short-lived service in the Australian Military. (16)
References
1. WW1 Honour Board Name List
2. Virtual War Memorial Australia - FINLAY, William Lockhart
3. Google Drive - FINLAY William Lockhart
4. Op. Cit.
5. Australian Army Research Centre - The Citizen Military Forces
6. Ibid.
7. ANZAC Portal - Training Australian army recruits during World War I
8. Ibid.
9. Totally HISTORY - The Battle of Passchendaele
10. Op. Cit.
11. Op. Cit.
12. Historic UK - The Battle of Passchendaele
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid - Medium Trench Mortar Batteries
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
Bibliography
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/training
Google Drive - Finlay William Lockhart
https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/267
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3900862&isAv=N
https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/223050
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/battle-of-passchendaele-third-ypres
https://totallyhistory.com/battle-of-passchendaele/
https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/55
Anthony Le - WW1 Honour Board Name List
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