FIELD, David William
| Service Numbers: | 1626, N279751 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 31 Garrison Battalion (NSW) |
| Born: | Cowra, New South Wales, Australia, 13 May 1891 |
| Home Town: | Leura, Blue Mountains Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia, 1 November 1964, aged 73 years |
| Cemetery: |
Wamberal Cemetery, NSW |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Leura Memorial Gates |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 9 Jun 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), GSW right arm | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Imprisoned | |
| 23 Nov 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Embarked Calais for repatriation to England | |
| 31 Mar 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), From England Per 'Khyber' Disembarked 14 May 1919 at Sydney | |
| 1 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 1626, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Aug 1941: | Enlisted Private, N279751, 31 Garrison Battalion (NSW) , Paddington, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, N279751 | |
| 4 Sep 1943: | Involvement Private, N279751, 31 Garrison Battalion (NSW) , Discharged | |
| 4 Sep 1943: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , N279751, 31 Garrison Battalion (NSW) , Private |
Help us honour David William Field's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
David William FIELD was the eldest child of Robert Richard Field and Florence Jessie Houghton. He was born at Wattamandara near Cowra, NSW in 1891. His father, Robert, worked on the railway.
David served in France in WW1 enlisting on 19 August 1915 at the age of 24. His occupation was Labourer and service number 1626. He principally served in the 45th Battalion and had numerous hospital admissions for sickness and wounds.
On 5 May 1918 in he was reported as 'Missing In Action' in France and then on 25 May 1918 it was reported that he was a Prisoner of War, injured and in the hands of the Germans.
The 45th Battalion with which David served was primarily raised from New South Wales volunteers. After completing training in Egypt, the battalion was transferred to the Western Front in mid-1916. During the following two and a half years, the battalion fought in a number of major battles in France and Belgium. Its first major battle came at Pozières in August 1916, where it had a defensive role, holding ground that had been captured earlier by the Australian 2nd Division. In mid-1917 the Battalion was involved in the Battles of Messines and Passchendaele, suffering heavy casualties. In March 1918, the German’s mounted their Spring Offensive to regain ground they had lost to the allied forces, the 45th Battalion repelled repeated attacks at Dernancourt. The Spring Offensive went through to July 1918 and it is in this time that David was injured and captured.
WW1 ended on 11 November 1918 and on 23 November 1918 David was repatriated to England and returned to Australia as an invalid on 31 March 1919.
He was discharged from service on 14 June 1919.
In 1921 he married Edith Maud Midgley at Katoomba NSW.
David died on 1 November 1964 at Gosford and is buried in the Wamberal Cemetery
Submitted 3 May 2020 by Susan Weisser
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