GRIGSBY, William Edward
| Service Number: | 2391 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 28th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sittingbourne, Kent, England, 24 December 1889 |
| Home Town: | Mount Kokeby, Beverley, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | Died in a traffic accident, Perth, Western Australia, 9 August 1947, aged 57 years |
| Cemetery: |
Perth War Cemetery and Annex, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Beverley District Honour Roll WW1, Beverley Mount Kokeby Great War Honour Roll, Beverley War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2391, 28th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2391, 28th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2391, 28th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Fremantle |
Help us honour William Edward Grigsby's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Grigsby was born in Kent, England. He came to Australia with his parents during 1910, arriving in Fremantle. His family was living and working on a farm at Mount Kokeby, Western Australia when he enlisted.
He was captured during the 51st Battalion attack on Mouquet Farm on 3 September 1916. When he was repatriated to England in 1918, he gave the following statement, “We had attacked and taken Mouquet Farm at about 6 a.m. on 3/9/16 and went about 100 yards further on. Here we dug in. The Germans then counter attacked. We found that Germans were also in our rear, having got there by means of an elaborate underground system of tunnels. Being completely surrounded, we had to surrender.”
About 65 men from the 51st Battalion were captured at Mouquet Farm, most of them wounded, in the same situation.
William returned to Australia during March 1919.
He enlisted again for WW2, enlisting in 1941 and was still serving in the Australian Army Ordnance Corps when he died in a motor accident. He served for almost 4 years during WW1, two of them as a POW, and just over six years during WW2.
Private Grigsby was struck by a utility while cycling along a highway in Midland, Perth in 1947 and died of fatal head injuries at the age of 58.
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