SWANSON, William
| Service Number: | 5077 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 December 1915, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 14 December 1896 |
| Home Town: | New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Fortitude Valley State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Apprentice boilermaker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, France, 1 November 1917, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
White House Cemetery, Belgium Plot 3 Row Q Grave 14, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, New Farm State School War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5077, Brisbane, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5077, 25th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 4 May 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5077, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane | |
| 29 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5077, 25th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5077, 25th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road | |
| 1 Nov 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5077, 25th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Passchendaele |
Help us honour William Swanson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Bruce Kendrick
William 'Snowy' Swanson was the oldest of eight children to John and Charlotte Swanson. He did four years of cadets in Brisbane before he enlisted aged 19.
William saw action in Pozieres and the Somme as a Lewis machine gunner before the battalion was moved to Belgium and the hell of Passchendaele. Here he supported in the Second Battle of Bullecourt. However when moving to the front line to relieve another battalion on Zonnebeke Ridge he was hit by a gas shell and killed instantly.
William was a popular soldier and his death "caused profound sorrow among his friends". He was the only one to die that night. He was remembered because "he was the only one in the company with that name" and his blonde hair hence the nicknane snowy.
William's death devastated his family especially his mother who never recovered and was said to have died from a broken heart.
William Swanson is still remembered to this day and I am honoured to say he was my great uncle.
"SWANSON, William. Private, No. 5077, 25th Battn. Born at New Farm, Brisbane, in 1896, and educated at Brisbane Valley School. The son of John and Charlotte Jane Swanson, of Merthyr Road, New Farm. Brisbane. Prior to enlisting he was apprenticed to Messrs. Sargeants, boilermakers, of Brisbane. Enlisted January 9th, 1916, and went into Enoggera Camp for training. Left with the 13th Reinf. of 25th Battn. from Pinkenba on May 4th, 1916, and proceeded to England. Left England for France, and was killed at Passchendaele on November 1st, 1917." - SOURCE (nla.gov.au) (p. 214)
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