TOONE, William John
| Service Number: | 1978 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 December 1915, Enlisted at Goulburn |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bowral, New South Wales, Australia , 12 March 1892 |
| Home Town: | Bowral, Wingecarribee, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 7 February 1917, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bernafay Wood British Cemetery, Montauban F 51 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Baulkham Hills William Thompson Masonic School War Memorial, Boorowa War Memorial, Goulburn District Railway Employees Great War Honour Roll, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Sydney United Grand Lodge Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1978, 55th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Goulburn | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 1978, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Barambah embarkation_ship_number: A37 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 1978, 55th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Barambah, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
William John TOONE (Service Number 1978) was born on 12th March 1892 at Bowral. His career with the NSW Railways began as a temporary junior porter in the Traffic Branch in the Goulburn District on 5th December 1911. By March 1912 he had become permanent, then in 1913, once he had turned 21, a porter. From 19th September 1913 until 24th December 1914 he was designated night officer before reverting to porter. It was from this role that he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 21st January 1916 but had in fact enlisted at Goulburn on 13th December 1915. Despite his relatively long career with the Railways he revealed on his Attestation Papers that he had spent 18 months as an apprentice bootmaker. He nominated his mother, Elizabeth Toone of Woodbine Street, Bowral, as his next of kin.
He was allotted to the 3rd Reinforcements to the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Barambah’ at Sydney on 23rd June 1916 and reached Plymouth (England) on 25th August . He was assigned to the 14th Training Battalion. On 14th December 1916 he proceeded overseas to France through Folkestone on the ‘Princess Henrietta’ . He reached the 5th Division Base Depot at Etaples on 15th December. He was admitted to hospital three days later with mumps. He did not reach the 55th Battalion until 15th January 1917.
Three weeks later, on 7th February 1917, he was killed in action. Pte C H Foster (2149) reported that:
‘Toone belonged to C. Coy., a signaller. He came over from England where he had been learning signalling, just after Christmas, and was killed about February 6th in the evening, when on fatigue putting up some barbed wire near Needle Dump in the Transloy Sector. A shell got him. I was working in Cow Trench at the time not far off and I saw him after he was killed.’
He was buried in the Bernafay Wood British Cemetery, 6¼ miles E of Albert.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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