KING, William
| Service Number: | 626 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 September 1914, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia, 14 October 1893 |
| Home Town: | Plattsburg, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, Hospital Ship ‘Gascon’ off Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli, 13 May 1915, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" LONE PINE MEMORIAL Panel 38. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Wallsend Soldier's Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 626, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Bugler, 626, 13th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Bugler, 626, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 626, 13th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 626 awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1915-05-13 |
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"PRIVATE W. KING.
Private William King, whose name appeared amongst the list of killed published on Tuesday, was a son of Mr. J. King, of Railway-street, Plattsburg. Private King, who was 21 years of age, was a member of the Wallsend and Plattsburg Model Band, of which his father is secretary. He was a player of British football, and at the matches played at Wallsend on Saturday the members of the teams wore black bands on their arms as marks of respect to his memory. The official telegram notifying the death of his son was received by Mr. King on Friday, it being stated that the deceased was killed in battle on May 24." - from the Newcastle Morning Herald 03 Jun 1915 (nla.gov.au)
"Private William King (killed in action) was a son of Mr. John King, Railway-street, Plattsburg. He was 21 years of age, was a member at the Wallsend and Plattsburg Model Band. Prior to enlisting he was employed in the railway district superintendent's office at Newcastle." - from the Sydney Evening News 12 Jul 1915 (nla.gov.au)
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William KING (Service Number 626) was born on 20th November 1893 at Wallsend. He began working for the NSW Railways in the Traffic Branch in the Newcastle District Divisional Engineers Office on 19th February 1912 as a junior clerk. He was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on 14th September 1914. He was still less than 21-years-old and still a junior.
He enlisted at Rosebery Camp and was allotted to the 13th Australian Infantry Battalion. He was unmarried and gave his mother living in Plattsburg as his next of kin. King, who was a bugler, embarked at Melbourne on HMAT ‘Ulysses’ on 22nd December 1914. A letter from his sister, Annie, written to claim the commemorative Gallipoli Medallion in 1967 asserts that he was at the landing on 25th April 1915.
He was certainly there on 12th May 1915 as his military files show that he received a gunshot wound to his pelvis on 12th May 1915 and died on the Hospital Ship ‘Gascon’ off Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli on 13th May 1915 and in keeping with routine procedures was buried at sea.
Since he has no grave, he is remembered at the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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