Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Albert Buder served for the Australian Army in World War 1 between the years of 1915-1916. He was born on the 15th of May, 1890, and grew up in the suburb of Payneham, Adelaide, South Australia.

Prior to the war, William was educated at Tea Tree Gully Public School and was a barman. At the time of enlisting, he was single without any children. William was a man with a medium complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair. He was quite short for a man, with a height of 5 feet and 3.25 inches. He weighed 61kg, and was of the Baptist religion. William’s mother was Caroline Buder, who he lived with at the time of his enlistment. Caroline was William’s nearest blood relation, as his father died when William was younger in April, 1914.

William enlisted for World War 1 on the 19th of July 1915, at Keswick, Adelaide, when he was 25 years and 2 months old. He passed his medical exam, and stated in his application that he had never served for His Majesty’s Forces prior to enlistment. William’s motive for joining the war was probably similar to others of that era; peer pressure. Many men were manipulated by posters, advertisements and newspapers to join the army and serve for their country. They were often looked at as a coward if they didn’t join. Over 416, 809 soldiers from Australia enlisted for World War 1, and it was increasingly popular when the British were low on men in 1915 – 1916.

William’s rank was private, the first and lowest rank of the army. Privates were the most common and basic of all the ranks in the first world war.  His unit was the 10th Australian Infantry Battalion, which was one of the first military forces raised to the AIF during World War 1.

After basic training was completed at Belair National Park and Glenelg, William embarked for the start of his journey on the 2nd of December 1915, riding the RMS Malwa ship to the Middle East. This trip would’ve taken 40-45 days if they were travelling 24/7 and only stopping for fuel. Once they arrived, the troops in the 10th Battalion undertook training in Alexandria, Egypt, before heading to Gallipoli. The men were issued with a uniform, webbing and a rifle. In March 1916, William and the 10th Battalion sailed to France and deployed in the Somme; a river in France. In July 1916, the 10th Battalion fought in the Battle of Pozieres and the Battle of Sommes.

Just over a year after enlisting, on August 20th 1916, William Buder was killed in action. William died in France whilst fighting in the fields when he was only 26 years old. He was buried in the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France. William’s belongings were sent back to his mother on the ‘Euripidies’ ship.

William Buder was awarded three medals for his service in the Australian Army; The British War Medal, the Star Medal and the Victory Medal. All three of these medals were given to his mother due to his passing.

ANZAC stands for the “Australian and New Zealand Army Crops”, and the Anzac spirit is the idea that Australian and New Zealand soldiers had shared characteristics shown in World War 1. William Buder demonstrated this spirit by serving for his country in the war, and sacrificing his own life for Australia. William showed great strength and resilience by never giving up, even when he was fighting in extremely dangerous battles and environments. He could have easily deserted and then survived the war, but he chose to stay determined and fight, even if the end result was death.

William Albert Buder was loved deeply by his family and friends, especially his mother, which is evident through the amount of notices subsequent to his passing. In October 1916, shortly after William’s death, the Adelaide Chronicle wrote that William was “well liked and respected by all who knew him”.

William Albert Buder contributed greatly to World War 1, and will be remembered for many years to come.

"THE LATE PRIVATE W. A. BUDER.

Mrs. F. Buder, of Harcourt-street, Payneham, has been officially notified that her son, Private Will Buder, was killed in action in France on August 20. He was 25 years of age, and was educated at the Tea-tree Gully public school. Prior to enlisting he spent several years at Campbelltown, where he was well liked and respected by all who knew him. Private Buder left for the front in December, 1915." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 21 Oct 1916 (nla.gov.au)