William John SAYERS

SAYERS, William John

Service Number: 754
Enlisted: 18 August 1914, Bendigo, Victoria
Last Rank: Staff Sergeant
Last Unit: 7th Infantry Battalion
Born: Long Gully, Victoria, Australia, March 1886
Home Town: Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Timber yardsman
Died: Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 25 April 1915
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey Panel 27
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing
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World War 1 Service

18 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 754, Bendigo, Victoria
22 Aug 1914: Promoted AIF WW1, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, 7th Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic.
19 Oct 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 754, 7th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: ''
19 Oct 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 754, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne
25 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Staff Sergeant, 754, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli,

--- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 754 awm_unit: 7 Battalion awm_rank: Company Quartermaster Sergeant awm_died_date: 1915-04-25

Help us honour William John Sayers's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Robert Wight

Brothers:

2242 Pte Harold Garnet SAYERS, 60th Bn, returned to Australia, 20 December 1917;

1831 Pte Steven Alexander SAYERS, 6th Bn, returned to Australia, 7 November 1915.

Biography contributed by Larna Malone

William John Sayers was born in Long Gully, the son of William & Jane Sayers, of 33 Harrison St., Bendigo.   He lived at 126 Violet-street, Bendigo (known as Little Ironbark) and was Married to Lillian Williams.    They had one child.   

William was a Timber yardsman, employed at Hume and Iser’s timber yards, Bendigo.   He was 28 years & 5 months old when he volunteered for service in the Expeditionary Force.   He had previously served as a Bugler in Junior Cadets, and as a lieutenant in Senior Cadets.  He was currently a color-sergeant in 67th Infantry CMF.    He was amongst the early volunteers for the Expeditionary Force, enlisting on 18.8.14, the first non-commissioned local officer to do so.    The following day he left Bendigo for the Broadmeadows Camp.    He was allotted Service no. 754 and appointed to ‘G’ Company, 7th Battalion, as colour-sergeant.   

The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’.   Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids.   (6/12/14)     

In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized.   In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company.      This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.    The previous rank of colour-sergeant was abolished and new ranks were established.   Colour-Sergeant Sayers, formerly ‘G’ Company, was appointed Quartermaster-Sergeant of the new ‘D’ Company.   

The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915.    William John Sayers was KIA 25/4/15.   He had advanced beyond the line and his body was never found.    He has no known grave, and his name was recorded on the Lone Pine Memorial.   

 

“The First Lot.   7th Battalion.   The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone

 

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