Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William was the son of Walter Henry Paull DANIELS & Sarah Hannah SYKES and was born on the 1st of October 1895 in Happy Valley, SA.

His parents were married on the 28th of July 1887 in the Registry Office, Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of William John DANIELS & Mary Ann PAULL and was born on the 23rd of September 1864 in Adelaide, SA.
His mother was the daughter of James SYKES & Mary Elizabeth THORNTON and was born on the 22nd of July 1864 in Bowden, SA.

William was the fifth child born into this family of 8 children.

By 1897 his father had gained employment as a moulder and the family moved to Fifth Street, Bowden.

A few years later they moved to Mellor Road, Glanville.

William was 15 years old when he joined the Senior Cadets in 1910.
After completing his schooling William gained employment as a labourer and joined the 76th Infantry (Hindmarsh).

His mother died from Pernicious Anemia in the Adelaide Hospital on the 13th of June 1912 and they buried her the following day in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section J, Drive C, Path 4, Site Number 133N.

Seven months later William’s brother Harold died of Acute Peritonitis in the Adelaide Hospital, aged 22.

At the age of 19, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 23rd of November 1914 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 1486 and posted to the 10th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements.

William embarked from Melbourne, on board HMAT Runic on the 19th of February 1915, disembarked in Egypt and marched into Mena Camp, near Cairo, close to the Giza Pyramids.

After a further few weeks training in the desert they entrained at Cairo for Alexandria and embarked for the Dardanelles.

William landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the night of the 6th of May and was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion the following day and posted to B Company.

Williams’s brothers now began to enlist;
Leslie enlisted into the 32nd Battalion, 1st Reinforcements on the 14th of July 1915 (1522), followed by Percy, who enlisted into the 27th Battalion, 7th Reinforcements on the 17th of August 1915 (2624).

In late September William suffered from dysentery and evacuated to Malta and then Gibraltar before being evacuated to England.

Whilst William was in hospital, back in Australia, his father moved to Harris Street, Exeter.
Then William’s other brother Charles enlisted into the 50th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements on the 13th of March 1916 (1898).

After William recovered he was posted to the 3rd Training Battalion, Perham Downs and whilst he was here his brother Leslie was Killed in Action on the 19th of July 1916. Leslie was a part of A Company in the attack on Fleurbaix during the disastrous Battle of Fromelles.
His body was never recovered and he has no known grave.

William proceeded to France on the 25th of July 1916 and whilst in France William celebrated his 21st birthday in the front line at Railway Dugouts, near Hill 60, Ypres.

He suffered with Pneumonia and Bronchitis, which led to Tuberculosis and was evacuated to England.

He was recommended for return to Australia and embarked from England on the 16th of July 1917 on board HS Kanowna.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 7th of September and was admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick, the same day.

William spent the next 2 months here, receiving treatment, before he was intended to be transferred to the Bedford Park Sanatorium, on the 9th of November, for further treatment.

However, William did not wish to be transferred to the Bedford Park Sanatorium and asked for his discharge from the AIF.

William was discharged; medically unfit, from the AIF on the 23rd of November 1917 and granted a military pension of £3 per fortnight.

He returned home to live with his father in Harris Street, Exeter but he was by now, a very sick young man.

William died from Tuberculosis on the 5th of July 1918, aged 22.
His funeral was held 2 days later at 3pm and he was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section L, Drive C, Path 17, Site Number 203N.

After his death his war medals, which consisted of the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals, were issued to his father on the 22nd of January 1923.

Military

At the age of 19, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 23rd of November 1914 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 1486 and posted to the 10th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements.
He listed his father, of Mellor Raod, Glanville, SA, as his next of kin.

William embarked from Melbourne, on board HMAT Runic on the 19th of February 1915, disembarked in Egypt and marched into Mena Camp, near Cairo, close to the Giza Pyramids.

After a further few weeks training in the desert they entrained at Cairo for Alexandria and embarked for the Dardanelles.

William landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the night of the 6th of May and was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion the following day and posted to B Company.
Two days later they commenced an assault on the enemy positions at Quinn’s Post, which they captured at the point of the bayonet.
During the counter attack the next day the position had to be evacuated but not before 600 Turks had been killed and 2,000 captured.

So great was the stench from the dead bodies that on the 24th of May an Armistice was granted from 7:30am until 4:30pm for the purpose of burying the dead and over 3,000 Turks were buried.
Summer was almost at hand and with it came the plague of flies and other insects which made life almost unbearable.
The heat was awful, good water scarce at the beginning, was daily becoming scarcer with the wells completely giving out and two thirds of the water supply had to be brought from abroad and stored.
On top of this came diarrhoea, dysentery and fever, until nearly every man on the Peninsula was suffering from the disease.

From the 8th until the 11th of June William and the Battalion had a short respite on Lemnos Island and they lived in tents with ample supply of wood, food and water.
They then returned to the Peninsula and relieved the 11th Battalion in the line and in addition to this, in preparation for the attack in August; the men on the Peninsula dug more than 20 miles of trenches to accommodate more than 30,000 men.

Besides helping to disembark that force they carried ashore 1,000 tons of shells, cartridges, food, hundreds of horses and mules, many guns and 200-300 water and ammunition carts.
In the August operations, the Battalion, with the exception of holding the existing front line, played no active part.

On the 26th of September William suffered from dysentery and was admitted into the 3rd Field Ambulance and transferred to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station on ANZAC COVE Beach.
Two days later he was then evacuated to Malta on board HS Gascon and admitted into Forrest Hospital.

On the 8th of October William was transferred to the Gibraltar General Hospital, which was nicknamed “Wedgewood Castle, due to its light blue interior.
He spent 6 weeks here before he was evacuated to England on the 21st of November and admitted into the Beaufort War Hospital, Fishponds, Bristol, England, 7 days later.
William went AWOL from the hospital on the 22nd of December for 1 day and was warded 5 days pay forfeited and 96 hours detention.
Then on the 24th of December he was transferred to the 4th London General Hospital with Venereal Disease.

After spending Christmas 1915 here he broke out of hospital on the 1st of February 1916 and was AWOL 3 hours. He was apprehended and awarded 96 hours detention and forfeited 4 days pay.
On the 28th of February he was discharged to Abbey Wood Intermediate Depot where he remained until the 13th of May when he was posted to Montevideo Camp in Weymouth.

Four weeks later William was found to be drunk while returning his pass and fined, only to commit this offence again on the 24th of June.
Four days later he was posted to the 3rd Training Battalion, Perham Downs, on the Salisbury Plain.
William proceeded to France on the 25th of July and 2 days later was admitted into the 18th General Hospital in Camiers, suffering from Venereal Disease.
After spending 10 days her he was discharged to the 1st ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Etaples on the 6th of August.

William rejoined his Battalion on the 25th of August at Sunken Road, Pozieres and on the 1st of September they moved to Kenora Camp, Poperinghe for rest and training.
On the 13th of September they moved forward to reserve position near Chateau Belge and 6 days later they moved into the front line at Railway Dugouts, near Hill 60, Ypres.

They were relieved on William’s 21st birthday, on the 1st of October and entrained to Brandhoek for rest and training.
Whist here, on the 8th of October, William was apprehended out of the Battalion area without a pass and awarded 14 days Field Punishment No.2.
Four days later they marched to Steenvoorde before marching over 3 days to Tournehem and settling into training.
They then entrained to Pont Remy on the 20th and marched into billets at Buigny L’Abbye, Picardy.
Their next moved was to Buire, by bus, before they marched to Fricourt where they were used for fatigues and guard duty.

On the 30th of October the moved forward to a camp north of Bernafay Wood, where the ground was very slushy and it rained very heavily.
Here they were tasked with road making in the forward area before moving into the front line at Guedecourt and were attached to the 2nd Infantry Brigade.
The trenches here were in a very bad state after the rain, in a few places thigh deep in mud & water and by the time they were relieved on the 11th of November 4 men had been killed, 2 Officers and 25 other ranks had been wounded and 150 other ranks had been evacuated due to exposure & feet troubles.
Many men after getting to the support trench took their boots off and could not get them on again.

The following day they moved to Bernafay Wood, Fricourt 2 days later, and then to Dernancourt on the 14th where they commenced to clean their clothing and equipment.
Three days later they marched to the staging Area at Buire and then embussed to Cardonette to commence 10 days of training.

During this training, on the 23rd of November, William suffered from Pneumonia and Bronchitis and was admitted into the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 42nd Stationary Hospital in Amiens on the 28th.
On the 5th of December William was transferred to the 9th General Hospital in Rouen and 3 days later he was evacuated from Le Havre on board HS Carisbrook Castle to England and admitted into the Beaufort War Hospital, Fishponds, Bristol, where he was diagnosed with Phthisis (Tuberculosis).

William spent Christmas 1916 here before he was discharged to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 15th of January 1917.
On the 30th of January he was discharged from hospital and granted furlo before reporting to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs.

He was granted leave in mid April and whilst on leave was admitted into King George Hospital in Waterloo on the 19th of April.
After several weeks here he was transferred to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield on the 1st of June.
He was recommended for return to Australia and embarked from England on the 16th of July 1917 on board HS Kanowna.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 7th of September and was admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick, the same day.

William spent the next 2 months here, receiving treatment, before he was intended to be transferred to the Bedford Park Sanatorium, on the 9th of November, for further treatment.

However, William did not wish to be transferred to the Bedford Park Sanatorium and asked for his discharge from the AIF.

William was discharged; medically unfit, from the AIF on the 23rd of November 1917 and granted a military pension of £3 per fortnight.

After his death from Tuberculosis on the 5th of July 1918 his war medals, which consisted of the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals, were issued to his father on the 22nd of January 1923.