WILL, Mathew Gloag
| Service Number: | 2706 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 7th Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Perth, Perthshire , Scotland, 18 July 1888 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Blacksmith |
| Died: | Warragamba, NSW, 21 October 1964, aged 76 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 2706, 7th Field Company Engineers | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1915: | Involvement 2706, 7th Field Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1915: | Embarked 2706, 7th Field Company Engineers, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney | |
| 23 Dec 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sapper, 2706, 7th Field Company Engineers |
Matthew Gloag Will 2706
Matthew was born on 18 August 1888 in the town of Perth, County of Perthshire,Parish of Kilspindle , Scotland to Alexander Will and his wife. Helen Gavin nee Liburn. He was a qualified blacksmith and tanner having served 5 years apprenticeship in the trade upon leaving school. Having decided to emigrate to Australia, he departed London aboard the Beltana arriving in Sydney on the 12 January 1913. His religion is recorded as Presbyterian.
Upon enlisting on 23 July 1915 into the AIF at Liverpool he was assigned to the 7th. Field Company Engineers as a sapper. The unit disembarked Australia on the 30th. November that year bound for Egypt.
The 7th,. Field Company Engineers AIF were raised in New South Wales in September 1915 as the 4th. Field Company before renumbering in Egypt in February 1916. Each division had three Field Engineer Companies under command, numbered the same as the Brigades of the Division. The 2nd. Division thus had the 5th., 6th., and 7th. Field Companies of Engineers on strength.
During WW1 the Engineers main priorities were broadly divided into mobility. counter mobility and construction as well as survey and mapping, specialised tunneling and and mining operations. The Field Companies scope of works concentrated on the former rather than the latter.
They undertook a broad range of tasks including preparation and supervision of the construction of defensive and gun positions, excavation of trenches and dugouts, erection of wire and other obstacles, preparation of command posts, signalling and water supply, field engineering, road and bridge construction and route maintenance. They also undertook obstacle breaching and crossing. For example in the lead up to the attack at Mont St. Quentin the engineers were required to carry out two river crossing/bridging operations.
Matthew served in the Middle East, France and England with this unit and returned home aboard the HMAT Euripides on 3 September 1919. He received his official discharge from the AIF on 23 December that year. For his part in the Great War he received the 1914/15 Star, Victory and British War medals.
Upon his return he took up occupation as a farmer and on the 25 May 1942 he married his sweetheart Gladys Anne Dunn at Waverley in New South Wales. They took up residence at Middle Cove and had two sons Alexander Harold and Thomas Matthew.
On 21 October 1964 he died at Warragamba and is buried at Bingara General Cemetry in Camden.
His name will be found at the Gundaroo War Memorial in Gundaroo in New South Wales.
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Submitted 14 October 2018 by peter tacon