WOOLCOCK, William Gepp
| Service Number: | 204 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 30 April 1892 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | District school |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, France, 31 March 1918, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No.1 Plot VI, Row G, Grave No. 56 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour, Broken Hill War Memorial, Kadina & District WW1 Roll of Honor, Kadina War Memorial Arch |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Jan 1916: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 204, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 204, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide |
Help us honour William Gepp Woolcock's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
Son of Thomas and Sarah A WOOLCOCK
THE LATE PRIVATE W. WOOLCOCK.
I DID MY BIT.
Mr. and Mrs. T. Woolcock have received tho following letter from Private Jack Medlin on active service in France, regarding the death of their son Private William Gepp Woolcock, who died of wounds received in the battle of the Somme on March 31, 1918:-
"Mine ia a painful duty I must perform. Your son was with me stretcherbearing on the Somme on March 31 when he was hit. We were carrying a wounded man on a stretcher when a shell-lobbed, and blew us up. I was very much shaken. Your son was hit in the back. The enemy was shelling very heavily. I pulled your son in a
gutter and dressed his wound, and then carried him to a dressing station and got him away. He was in the ambulance in less than 15 minutes, but he died at the casualty clearing station.
Will's last words were, "Tell my comrades and my people I did my bit." Never were, words more truly spoken. Will was our best bearer. Wherever there was danger, wherever there were wounded, he was there, and his was the strong arm ready , to proffer assistance. His was the strong, brave heart that stood all hardships. I truly say I lost a good cobber, and you can ask any of the battalion and they will tell
you he was second to none on the battlefield, and among the wounded he was as tender as a woman. Words fail me when I try to tell you how very much we shall all miss him. ' In closing I extend to you my deepest sympathy', along with that of all of his cobbers,
and let us remember that the man who gives his life as he gave his never dies."
Biography contributed
Biography written by Harrison Geater-Johnson from Central Yorke School, SA attached as a document. Winning entry for 2020 Premier's Anzac Spirit School Prize.
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