GILLESPIE, William
| Service Number: | 1418 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 July 1915, Brisbane, Qld |
| Last Rank: | Second Class Air Mechanic |
| Last Unit: | No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
| Born: | Clunes, Victoria, Australia, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Clunes, Hepburn, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Grazier & engineer |
| Memorials: | Clunes Soldiers Pictorial Honour Roll, Tourello Walnut Grove Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1418, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Brisbane, Qld | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 1418, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Mashobra embarkation_ship_number: A47 public_note: '' | |
| 4 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 1418, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Mashobra, Sydney | |
| 14 Jan 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1418, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Egypt and Palestine - Light Horse and AFC Operations, Suez | |
| 4 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1418, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Battle of Romani | |
| 9 Sep 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 1st Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron, Romani | |
| 23 Sep 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1418, 1st Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron, Battle of Magdhaba | |
| 9 Jan 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1418, 1st Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron, Battle of Rafa | |
| 3 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Class Air Mechanic, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, Egypt | |
| 1 Jan 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Class Air Mechanic, 1418, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, AFC / RFC operations Western Front / Middle East | |
| 25 Jan 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Second Class Air Mechanic, 1418, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, RTA 10 April 1919 and discharged as MU (illness) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Brother: 25 Driver Charles GILLESPIE, 3rd Division Train, returned to Australia, 1 November 1919.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
William Gillespie, aged almost 25, enlisted in the AIF in Brisbane on 13 July 1915. He left Australia on 4 October 1915 for Egypt, where he joined his unit on 29 December 1915. Shortly after, the 2nd Light Horse Regiment moved to the Suez Canal on guard duty in mid-January 1916. They moved east into the Sinai and were involved in the successful defence of the Suez at the Battle of Romani on 4 August 1916.
On 9 September 1916, Pte Gillespie was transferred to the 1st Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron and saw further action at the Battles of Magdhaba and Rafa on 23 December 1916 and 9 January 1917 respectively.
On 9 July 1917, he transferred to No.1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps and was re-mustered as an Air Mechanic, 2nd Class. This squadron saw action throughout the Palestine campaign during 1918 and was also the object of numerous German air raids during this period.
On 29 November 1918, he was admitted to hospital in Cairo suffering from malaria and bronchitis. He remained in hospital for some time and departed Egypt on 10 April 1919.
He arrived in Melbourne on 18 May 1919 and was medically discharged from the AIF on 25 January 1920.
Source: Extract from "Clunes Soldier Memorial Panel" by Robert Wight, June 2022.
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