BISHOP, William Harold
| Service Number: | 3473 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Leichhardt, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, February 1892 |
| Home Town: | Casino, Richmond Valley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Leichhardt Superior Public School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway porter |
| Died: | Severe GSW to knee and Gas infection, County of London War Hospital, Epsom, England, United Kingdom, 28 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Epsom Cemetery, Surrey, England, United Kingdom Epsom Cemetery (Row K, Grave No. 83), Surrey, England, Epsom Cemetery, Epsom, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Casino and District Memorial Hospital WW1 Roll of Honour, Goulburn District Railway Employees Great War Honour Roll, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Kyogle Methodist WW1 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3473, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3473, 20th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3473, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney | |
| 16 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 54th Infantry Battalion | |
| 28 Jul 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3473, 54th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3473 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-07-28 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
William Harold BISHOP (Service Number 3473) was born on 31 May 1892 at Leichhardt. In June 1913, having just turned 21 he became a porter in the Railways Traffic Branch in the Sydney District. He relocated to Goulburn on 26 April 1915 as a ‘Transhipment porter’. A porter is a broad designation to cover all manner of work in the traffic branch. Only two months later on 12 September 1915 he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces, and on his enlistment papers he gives his calling as ‘Railway Porter’.
He embarked on 20 December 1915 on HMAT ‘Aeneas’, and in Egypt joined the 54th Battalion, as an Acting Sergeant, though he soon reverted to Private. From Alexandria he travelled through Marseilles to France, where he was wounded in action on 20 July 1916, with a gunshot wound to his right knee. He was admitted to the 13th General Hospital at Boulonge, and from there transported to England in HS ‘St Denis’. He succumbed to his injuries at the War Hospital in Epsom on 28 July 1916. He is buried at the District Council Cemetery, Epsom UK. In that cemetery, on 17 May 1926 there was unveiled and dedicated the Great War Cross erected by the Imperial War Graves Commission, to the soldiers, sailors and airmen, who died in service of their King and Country and who are buried in Epsom Cemetery.
(NAA B2455-3085291)
Submitted 11 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK
Died on this date - 28th July......Lance Corporal William Harold Bishop was born at Leichhardt, Sydney NSW in mid-1892. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 13th August, 1915 as a 23 year old Railway Porter from Casino, NSW.
Private Bishop embarked from Sydney, NSW on 20th December, 1915 with 8th Reinforcements of 20th Battalion. He was transferred to 54th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir on 16th February, 1916 & arrived in France on 29th June, 1916.
Private Bishop was promoted to Lance Corporal (no date recorded).
Lance Corporal William Bishop was wounded in action in France on 19th/20th July, 1916. He was admitted to 13th General Hospital at Boulogne, France on 21st July, 1916 with a gunshot wound to right knee. He was invalided to England & admitted to the County of London War Hospital, Epsom, England on 23rd July, 1916 suffering from severe gunshot wound to right knee & gas infection. He was operated on in the evening of 23rd July, 1916.
Lance Corporal William Bishop was reported as dangerously ill on 25th July, 1916.
Lance Corporal William Bishop died at 8.45 am on 28th July, 1916 at County of London War Hospital, Epsom, England. The cause of death was determined later to be from wounds received in action in France – gunshot wound to right thigh & Malignant Oedema. He was buried in Epsom Cemetery, Surrey – Screen Wall. K. 83. There are no headstones for this section of the Cemetery, however those buried have their names on a bronze plaque located on the Screen Wall which is directly in front of the lawned area of burials. His death is acknowledged by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
There are 5 other WW1 Australian Soldiers remembered on the Screen Wall.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/epsom.html
Click images to start slideshow.