WATSON, Andrew
| Service Number: | 4629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 46th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia, 1881 |
| Home Town: | Port Fairy, Moyne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Teamster/Carrier |
| Died: | Killed in action, Dernancourt, France, 5 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Millencourt Communal Cemetery Extension Row B, Grave 56. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Port Fairy School Roll of Honor, Port Fairy War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4629, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 4629, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Feb 1916: | Embarked Private, 4629, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Melbourne | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Involvement Private, 4629, 46th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4629 awm_unit: 46th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-04-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Andrew Watson was the son of William and Jane Watson of Bootahpool, a small district just north of Port Fairy, Victoria. He worked there as a teamster and carrier. He was not a young man, enlisting in 1915 at 34 years of age. His father had passed away in 1906.
Andrew enlisted with the 14th Battalion but was transferred to the 46th Battalion during the reorganisation of the AIF in early 1916. He survived the 1916 battles and was evacuated to England with severe trench foot during February 1917. He was over six months in England recovering before rejoining his unit at the front in September 1917. He was killed in action at Dernancourt on 5 April 1918, when a piece of shrapnel struck his head.
His brother, 6122 Private William Watson M.M. and Bar, 14th Battalion AIF, wrote to the Red Cross Wounded and Missing people soon after, “A. Watson is my brother. W. Carter 46th Battalion, now at No.4 Command Depot, Hurdcott, told me he was shot through the head during the hop over, I think at Heburterne. He saw him.” Other witnesses verified that Andrew was killed by a piece of shrapnel that struck him in the forehead. William won two decorations for gallantry acting as a stretcher bearer, carrying out wounded men under heavy machine gun and artillery fire.
The Port Fairy Gazette reported Andrew's death, “The deceased was a fine manly fellow, who had a lot of acquaintances in the district, and was spoken of in the highest terms by all who knew him. Several of his letters (written at the front) appeared in the ‘Gazette,’ and they indicated the courage and out spokenness of one who was the right stamp to make a soldier.”
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