O'DOWD, William
| Service Number: | 6330 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 April 1916, Geelong, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Koroit, Victoria, Australia, 3 September 1891 |
| Home Town: | Colac, Colac-Otway, Victoria |
| Schooling: | State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Vaire Wood, France, 16 June 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Crucifix Corner Cemetery Plot IX, Row A, Grave No. 20, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Beech Forest WWI Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, Geelong, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Sydney embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Sydney, Melbourne | |
| 11 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (First), Multiple SW to face, left hand and shoulder. Evacuated to UK. Rejoined unit 21 August 1917. | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, Polygon Wood | |
| 28 Mar 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, Hebuterne | |
| 1 May 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 14th Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 16 Jun 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 6330, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6330 awm_unit: 14 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-06-16 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
William O’Dowd was born on 3 September 1891 near Koroit, in the Western District of Victoria to Thomas (died 1905) and Mary O’Dowd and was the 11th child and youngest boy of 12 children.
He was working as a labourer when he enlisted in Geelong on 11 April 1916. He trained initially with the 19th Depot Battalion at the Corio Oval in East Geelong before being transferred to Broadmeadows.
“Will” embarked as a Private with the 14th Battalion in Melbourne on 7 September 1916 on HMAT “Port Sydney” bound for England.
He arrived in England on 29 October 1916 and spent two months training in one of the many military camps on the Salisbury Plains, Wiltshire.
He left England at Folkestone on 28 December 1916 on the “Princess Clementine” and disembarked in France the following day.
“Will” joined the Battalion in the Guedecourt sector on 24 January 1917, but it wasn’t until 11 April at Bullecourt that he saw his first major action, where he received shrapnel wounds to his left hand, face and shoulder. As a result of these wounds he spent the next four months in hospital’s in both France and England before rejoining his unit in the field at Wyschaete, Belgium on 21 August 1917.
During the Battle of 3rd Ypres, “Will” and the 14th Battalion were involved in the major battles at Menin Road, Polygon Wood and Passchendaele. The fighting was fierce and they were subjected to heavy shelling and many German attacks and counter attacks. They remained in the area until mid November, with little respite.
Through the early months of 1918 they rotated in and out of the front line throughout Belgium and French Flanders.
When the German Spring Offensive began in March 1918, the 14th Battalion were ordered to occupy Hebuterne, near Bapaume, and after several days of heavy fighting the German advance was checked here in early April.
By the end of April "Will" was in Villers-Bretonneux, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal on 1 May 1918. He remained there until moving to Aubigny at the end of May.
On the night of 15 June 1918, a patrol was sent out on an information gathering (peaceful penetration) mission into the nearby Vaire Wood. Enemy artillery was active and in the early hours of the morning L/Cpl William Kieran O’Dowd was struck in the head by a shell fragment and was killed instantly.
He was initially buried at the crossroads in front of Vaire Wood, and later re-interred at his final resting place at Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux.
Source: Steve Warner (great nephew by marriage).
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