HEATHER, William Edward
| Service Number: | 55630 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 April 1918 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kingston-on-Thames England, January 1884 |
| Home Town: | Abbotsford, Boroondara, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Trimmer |
| Died: | due to 'active service abroad', Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 September 1931 |
| Cemetery: |
Coburg Pine Ridge Cemetery, Victoria, Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Apr 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 55630, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 1918: | Involvement Private, 55630, 1st to 17th (VIC) Reinforcements, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Jul 1918: | Embarked Private, 55630, 1st to 17th (VIC) Reinforcements, HMAT Marathon, Melbourne | |
| 4 Jan 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 55630, 7th Infantry Battalion, 3rd MD |
Help us honour William Edward Heather's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From How We Served
The final resting place for - 55630 Private William Edward Heather of Collingwood, Victoria had been employed as a trimmer when he enlisted for War Service on the 24th of April 1918 (ANZAC Day eve) and was allocated to General Service Reinforcements 1st AIF.
William was embarked for England and further training on the 23rd of July, and arrived on the 27th of September in the final months of the Great War. Following his disembarkation and time spent in training camps William having been marked for reinforcements for the 7th Battalion was sent across to France on the 25th of January 1919 and remained on duty until he was evacuated due to sickness on the 5th of March, and was sent back to England for hospitalisation, arriving on the 14th of March.
Whilst receiving medical treatment it was determined William also was suffering from defective hearing and he was embarked for his repatriation to Australia as an invalid on the 7th of September. Following his arrival back in Australia, William was formally discharged from the 1st AIF on the 4th of January 1920 and was re-entered back into civilian life.
William’s health gradually worsened following his discharge and by the 25th of September 1928 he was admitted into the Military Mental Asylum having been diagnosed as suffering from epilepsy caused by his War Service. On the 6th of December 1928 William was placed on probation and allowed Trial Leave away from the asylum and whilst still on Trial Leave William passed on the 9th of September 1931.
William was formally interred within his family’s collective grave at Coburg Cemetery, Victoria and was granted a CWGC headstone as his premature death was deemed to be due to his ‘active service abroad’ whilst with the 1st AIF.
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