WILCE, William Henry
| Service Number: | 919 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 August 1914, Townsville, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Company Quartermaster Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 1st Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Ardwick, Lancaster, England, 25 March 1885 |
| Home Town: | Ayr, Burdekin, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural causes (hardening arteries), Brisbane, Queensland, 12 September 1971, aged 86 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 919, Townsville, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 919, 9th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Omrah embarkation_ship_number: A5 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Sep 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 919, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Omrah, Brisbane | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 919, 9th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 3 Feb 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, 919, 1st Pioneer Battalion |
William Henry Wilce
William Henry Wilce (SN 919) joined the 9th Battalion with his brother, Herbert "Bert" Wilce (SN 905).
William left the UK on a sailing ship bound for Canada at age 14 years (1899). He sailed from Canada to South Africa and tried to enlist in the Boer War. He was 14 years old, and they would only sign him up as a "drummer boy". Not what he wanted!
He then signed up as a stoker in Cape Town and over the next decade spent most of his time at sea. He first visited Australia around 1912 and then in 1914 settled here with his brother, "Bert". They both joined the 9th Battalion when war was declared. William met his younger brother, George H Wilce (Private 50122, Lancashire Fusiliers), whom he hadn't seen for 18 years, on the 26th March 1918, when the Lancashire Fusiliers were alongside the Australians. They planned to meet up the next day for George's 19th birthday (27.03.1918). Unfortunately, George was killed on his birthday before they could meet up.
William returned to Qld where he was issued with a "Special Leave Pass" at Victoria Barracks, Brisbane, dated Dec 6 1918 "after having been continuously on service abroad since 1914". He was given leave until Feb 3 1919.
William wore a brace on his lower left leg as a result of being wounded during the war. He also had shrapnel that exited via skin eruptions for almost 50 years after the war.
He spoke very little about about the war. Always referred to Gallipoli as "the Dardenelles".
Submitted 31 January 2017 by Graham Saunders