FORD, William
| Service Number: | 3298 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 47th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 5 June 1892 |
| Home Town: | West End, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Christian Brothers Catholic School, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Died: | Killed in action, Belgium, 7 June 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Annerley Stephens Shire Council Residents Honour Board 1, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3298, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3298, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Bee embarkation_ship_number: A48 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3298, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Bee, Brisbane | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 3298, 47th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3298 awm_unit: 47th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-06-07 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Ford was the son of James and Mary Ford, and he was one of five children, the family hailing from West End, Brisbane, Queensland.
Three of the Ford brothers enlisted during WW1, two being killed in action and the third was a prisoner of war for over 18 months, before he died in 1926, at 35 years of age.
William (22 years of age) and Robert (24 years of age) enlisted in the AIF together on 29 July 1915, joining the 11th Reinforcements of the 15th Battalion and being assigned the numbers 3298 and 3296 respectively.
William was transferred to the 47th Battalion in Egypt on 3 March 1916, during the reorganisation of the AIF. During the extremely heavy shelling at Pozieres, he was sent away to hospital, reported as ‘shell shock’ on 12 August 1916. He rejoined the 47th Battalion in September 1916 and was reported as killed in action at Messines on 7 June 1917. His remains were noted as being buried 750 yards east of Messines. One witness noted he was of ‘very slight build’ and killed by a rifle bullet and another witness said his body had been seen in a shell hole and that he was known as ‘Skinny’ Ford and came from West End, Brisbane.
His older brother, 4789 Pte. James Ford, 15th Battalion AIF was later in the war killed in action by a shell whilst the battalion were in a support trench near Hebuterne on 27 March 1918, where they had been rushed to stem the German spring offensive.
William’s other brother, 3296 Pte. Robert Ford 15th Battalion AIF, was captured by the Germans on 1 February 1917 during at attack on Stormy Trench, and was a prisoner of war until the Armistice. He eventually returned to Australia in March 1919.
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