HERLIHY, William Bernard
| Service Number: | 3739 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Carcoar, New South Wales, Australia, 18 September 1890 |
| Home Town: | Nyngan, Bogan, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Fettler |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 11 August 1918, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Aug 1917: | Involvement Private, 3739, 53rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug 1917: | Embarked Private, 3739, 53rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Sydney | |
| 29 Jan 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, Tunnelling Companies | |
| 24 Mar 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Returned to unit after a period with the 177th Tunnelling Company. | |
| 24 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3739, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Wounded in action but remained on duty. | |
| 10 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3739, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Gunshot wound while in action in France. Died the next day. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
William Bernard HERLIHY (Service Number 3739) was born 18th September 1890 in Carcoar., NSW. He was working with the railways for about a year, as a probationer in the Traffic Railways branch, before he found himself in trouble on 3rd October 1907. He was dismissed for ‘failing to promptly report the theft of a gun and case from Railway Parcels Office… and for making untruthful statements in connection therewith’. However, by 14th February 1911, he had been re-employed at the Railways. He commenced working as a labourer, and then by March the following year, a fettler.
He was given leave from the Railways in July 1917 to join the AIF and was 26 years old when he enlisted. He embarked on the HMAT ‘Miltiades’ from Sydney on 2nd August 1917. He disembarked at Glasgow (Scotland) on 2nd October 1917. He went to France in early 1918. He was in the 53rd Battalion. However on 29th January 1918, he was taken on strength of the 177th Tunnelling Company. After a few months, he returned to his unit on 24th March 1918.
On 24th April 1918, Herlihy was wounded in action, but he remained on duty.
However, a few months later, he was injured in action again on 10th August 1918. He was admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound. It was these wounds that would eventually kill him on 11th August 1918 in France. He was buried in Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, Daours, Picardie, France.
After his death, his father received personal items such as a prayer book, letters, and a wallet. His father also received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal on behalf of his service.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.