BOEHM, William George
| Service Number: | 2620 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 June 1916, Geelong, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Natimuk, Victoria, Australia, 5 May 1899 |
| Home Town: | Rainbow, Hindmarsh, Victoria |
| Schooling: | State School, Rainbow, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 3 October 1918, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bellicourt British Cemetery Bellicourt, Picardie, France, Bellicourt British Cemetery, Bellicourt, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Rainbow War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2620, Geelong, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2620, 46th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2620, 46th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Melbourne | |
| 15 Aug 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2620, 46th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres | |
| 3 Oct 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2620, 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, 2nd occasion - Shell wound (neck and right arm) |
Just 16 on enlistment
The probable reason for the misleading choice of the name Beams could be William was barely 16 when he enlisted and he wanted to distance himself from his brother John Boehm who had also enlisted underage, been discharged and then re-enlisted. Another possibility is that Boehm is supposedly pronounced “Beams” in Prussian.
Whatever, it was probably no coincidence they both embarked For France on the same troopship, the “Port Lincoln” for France.
The sea voyage was a minor epic in itself with false UBoat scares and the ship itself Permanently run aground at Sierra Leone In Africa (see J.C. Boehm’s story)
Submitted 22 May 2020 by Peter Lehman
Brothers in Arms
Initially signing up as William Beams, he and his brother “Jack“ Johann Christian Boehm sailed for France on the same troop ship.
A member of 50 Machine Gun Co he was KIA near the end of the war. Jack survived, met and married Grace Puttman in a England and she accompanied him as a war bride to Australia.
Submitted 22 May 2020 by Peter Lehman
Biography contributed by Robert Kearney
Enlisted and served under alias William George BEAMS
His Life For His Country
Click images to start slideshow.