Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

SERVICE NUMBER 5080 William Crellin’s introduction to life was in 1880 in Eltham, Victoria, where he attended school. It is not known why or when he came to live and work in the Margaret River area; but we first find reference to him as a 36 year old man, on February 1 1916, when he enlisted in the army. Working as a timber man at the No.1Timber Mill at Manjimup, it is known that William had a daughter, Sylvie, born November 9 1914 at Manjimup. Sylvie’s’ mother was Alice Baker, a widowed mother of two daughters whose family had moved to Margaret River circa 1908 from England. Living and training at Blackboy Hill Army Camp in Perth for two months, William was fortunate enough to successfully request leave for his wedding. He and Alice were married on March 27 1916 at the Perth Registry Office, making him the only married man to go to war from amongst the Margaret River men. Four days later, William was shipped overseas aboard the HMAT A9 “Shropshire” with three other Margaret River men; William Sparks, Ned Higgins and Les Mann of the 16th Battalion. After sailing for three weeks; and as a member of the 11th Brigade, 16th Reinforcements; William arrived in Suez, where he underwent a five week training period before being sent on to Marseilles, France, arriving early in June. The 11th Battalion, having left the disaster that was Gallipoli, was now fighting in the trenches on the Western Front. July 1916 found William at Le Havre, on the northern coast of France and then fighting at Poziers, amidst the gas attacks and heavy artillery bombardments. On the nights of 24/25 July, following fierce fighting, the 11th Battalion suffered losses of 19 officers and 512 men of other ranks, killed, wounded or missing in action. As an indication of how fierce the fighting was that the 11th endured, a week later the battalion was found to be at its lowest numbers with only 500 men alive and fighting, despite having received six lots of reinforcements. August 1916 found William fighting at Mouquet Farm, and the rest of that year the battalion fought around Ypres. Here, bloodied in battle again, William was promoted to Lance Corporal in the field in March 1917. Bad weather took its toll with illness, and more casualties followed among the allies as they advanced on the retreating Germans who fell back towards the Hindenburg Line. During the next few difficult weeks, William fought in the second Battle of Bullecourt, but was killed in action on May 7 1917. Casualties had been so heavy that the battalion was down to a mere 400 men. Notified of William’s death, Alice was left behind in Margaret River with her three young daughters. Despite correspondence with the Army over the following several months, it appeared that there were no personal effects to be returned to William’s family. Alice remarried in 1919 and as a sad and constant reminder of her late husband, William’s war medals continued to be posted out to Alice until the last; his Victory Medal; arrived in March, 1923. There was no known grave for William and he is remembered on the Villiers-Brettoneux Australian Memorial, Panel 61 at the Australian War Memorial, here in Margaret River, and also at St Margaret’s Anglican Church, Eltham, Victoria.