WILLS, Hubert (Herbert) Oswald
| Service Number: | 3788 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Young, New South Wales, Australia, 1898 |
| Home Town: | Young, Young, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railways employee |
| Died: | effects of gas during the war, Ashfield, New South Wales, 1935 |
| Cemetery: |
Randwick General Cemetery, New South Wales Catholic section |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3788, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3788, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 7 Apr 1918: | Wounded 20th Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Apr 1918: | Wounded 20th Infantry Battalion | |
| Date unknown: | Honoured Military Medal, German Spring Offensive 1918, supplement 30830 London Gazette 06/08/1918 |
My grandfather
This is my grandfather, whom I never had the honour or pleasure of meeting. He passed away in 1935, when my mother was 5 years old, as a result of being gassed in the war. He enlisted when he was 17 years old, together with his younger brother, who at the time was only 15. His younger brother, Bertie, died at the age of 27, again as a result of war injuries. My grandmother spoke of him with loving affection and never remarried after being widowed at 33. I have a copy of his war records and each Anzac Day my thoughts are drawn to him, a man I never knew, yet one I feel close to and proud of. He was awarded the military medal for continuing to deliver messages between battalions, under gunfire, after being shot in the leg.
My thoughts and gratitude are with him, today, Anzac Day 2019.
Leanne
Submitted 25 April 2019 by Leanne Davidson
Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
NOTE: First Given name was incorrectly transcribed as HERBERT. The First Given Name is recorded as HUBERT within the official Service Record. The name has been amended to (Hubert) accord with the Service Record. RSL Virtual War Memorial Chief Moderator, June 2016.