Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

It is likely William Thomas Clancy fought in the Somme, France and Flanders and then was gassed in Ypres. In Ypres the battlefield was through towns, or what was left. There was horrendous rain all through the war, so they were waist high in mud at some points. This was considered one of the worst places in the war. Bombs were flying everywhere; mustard gas was common and they introduced tanks to warfare. He also fought in many of the other places, fighting most places other than Gallipoli as he fought through the entire duration of the war. Everything would have taken a battering, with not having a moment to himself. He would possibly have had permanent ear damage after the war as there would have been constant gunfire and bombs exploding. Living in trenches the rotting bodies of dead soldiers would have created an unforgettable stench. Mud and dust would have been unsettled all the time so it would have been floating up into his eyes, impairing his eyesight. Because of the dead soldiers rats had a feast and some grew to be the size of cats. They foraged whenever they could and so when the soldiers were sleeping they ran over their faces and gave diseases. They couldn’t get rid of these smells however as they didn’t have time to be hygienic. It was impossible to get a quiet moment to yourself and just relax. Snipers were picking off undisciplined soldiers, so if you didn’t stay concealed and underground you could pay with your life. This meant that you had to have complete faith in the people digging the trenches. Lice lived all through the trenches, laying eggs in the soldiers clothes which caused illness or death.

William Thomas Clancy was born in Mt. Barker. Although he didn’t have an apprenticeship he had a job as a labourer. He was fit as he hadn’t ever been rejected from service. He was just over 23 years old when he enlisted for the war. He was 5ft 5, so very small. He was very light as well as he was only 54kg. He had grey eyes and was Roman Catholic.

His battalion fought in a lot of positions on both the western front and the middle east. He was gassed in 1917, so likely from sulfur mustard, or mustard gas in Ypres. Fortunately, this attack was not fatal. Mustard gas is a substance that was used frequently in 1917. When on exposed skin it leaves large blisters of different colours, and when breathed in it harms the lungs. He got 3 medals, the British war medal, the Victory medal and the 1914-1915 star medal. He probably travelled to Egypt, which was where the 10th battalion split into the 10th and the 50th battalion, after bringing in more recruits due to heavy losses at Gallipoli. This was probably where he joined the war.

The ship he left on was a standard ship, used for many journeys departing from different places. He participated in lots of separate fights, fighting in  different locations in the war. One thing you knew however was that the person next to you had your back. The Australian soldiers always looked out for each other and they wanted as many lives saved as possible. He had to endure severe cold, so water was difficult to get into there as a liquid form. This meant that he possibly had to go long periods of time without sufficient nutrients. Some people were sleeping huddled together as to protect themselves from the harsh climate.