GIBBS, William Charles
| Service Number: | 6128 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hindmarsh, South Australia, 1887 |
| Home Town: | Prospect (SA), Prospect, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 10 August 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Rosieres Communal Cemetery Extension, France Rosieres Communal Cemetery Extension, Rosieres, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Balaklava Port Wakefield St Albans Church Roll of Honour, Glenelg and District WW1 & WW2 Honour Board, Kent Town Prince Alfred College 'Nobly Striving, Nobly Fell' Roll of Honour, Prospect Roll of Honour A-G WWI Board |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6128, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6128, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6128, 10th Infantry Battalion, The Battle of Amiens, Killed in action 10th August. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
William Charles Gibbs
Life Before the War
William Charles Gibbs had a very quiet life. He was born sometime in 1887 in Hindmarsh, South Australia. He was his parents' only son, and he lived with his Father William and his Mother Julia. He went to Prince Alfred’s College in Kent Town, South Australia which is still standing today.
After he left Prince Alfred’s College, he became a Clerk. As a Clerk, William Charles Gibbs would have been in an office or a bank keeping records and do other routine administrative duties. He met the lovely Elsie and married her. They lived in 8 Vine Street, Prospect, South Australia.
He lived there until the 26th of February 1916 when he enlisted in The Great War, World War 1. He left Australian soil for the last time.
Life in Service
William Charles Gibbs was in the 10th battalion. He served from 1916 and survived almost all the war until he sadly died in 1918. He left on the 12th of August 1916 to Britain on the ship HMAT A70 "Ballarat". For much of the first half of 1917 he was ill and he eventually joined the 10th battalon on 18th of August 1917. He fought with his unit in the campaign of Third Ypres through the latter part of 1917, before injuring his ankle while on leave in early December. He rejoined his unit on 26th February 1918 and again fought through the spring campaign before being admitted to hospital with influenza on 17th June 1918. He was in and out of hospital through June and July before rejoing the 10th battalion on 2nd August 1918
On the 8th of August 1918 The Battle of Amiens, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy started. William Charles Gibbs was in this battle from the beginning.
“The Battle of Amiens was the beginning stage of the Allied offensive, later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, that ultimately led to the end of the First World War.” Unfortunately, William Charles Gibbs didn’t make it through the battle. 2 days after he got to the battle on the 10th of August he was killed in Action. No details survive of his death.
After Death
After his death there, all his belongings from the war were sent to his wife: His spectacles in their case, his pipe, his matchbox cover, his belt with his badges attached, his wallet, his religious medallion, his photos, letters, and 2-unit colours. This was the end of the war for Mr and Mrs William Charles Gibbs.
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Private W. C. GIBBS, who was killed in action in France on August 10, was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Gibbs, Glenelg. He was born in Adelaide, was educated at a private school at Peterborough, and afterwards at Prince Alfred College. He spent the earlier part of his life at Peterborough. Before enlisting he was employed as a clerk on the railways. He has left a widow, the second daughter of Mr. G. Payne, Prospect.
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