IVEY, William James Pote
| Service Number: | 2103 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 June 1916, at Broken Hill |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kapunda, South Australia, March 1890 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Broken Hill District School, New South Wales |
| Occupation: | Clerk and Ledger Keeper, Broken Hill Municipal Council |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Messines, Belgium, 7 June 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Strand Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Wallonie, Belgium Special Memorial, Plot 10, Row B, Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour, Broken Hill War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2103, 43rd Infantry Battalion, at Broken Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2103, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 28 Aug 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2103, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Adelaide | |
| 12 Nov 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 40th Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2103, 40th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2103 awm_unit: 40th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-06-07 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Aloysius College
William James Pote Ivey was born in Kapunda, South Australia, in March 1890. Little was known of his early life other than descriptions of him having a “sallow” complexion, brown eyes and black hair. Records show he was 180 centimetres tall at the time of his enlistment. His parents were Harriet Ivey and John Henry Ivey, and he had no known siblings. The family later moved to Broken Hill, in New South Wales where his father John became the mayor in 1904 and 1908. William attended the Broken Hill District School, and he was of Methodist religion. Before enlisting, Ivey worked as a clerk and ledger keeper at the Broken Hill Municipal Council.
Ivey enlisted in the war on the 15th of June 1916 in Broken Hill, at the age of 26, with his next of kin listed as his father, John Henry Ivey. He had no prior military experience, and was registered as a Private in the 43rd Battalion, 3rd reinforcement, under the service number 2103. He embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on the 28th of August 1916 on the HMAT A68 Anchises, and disembarked in Plymouth, England after a six week voyage, on the 11th of October 1916.
The next records of Ivey`s movements are a month later, on the 12th of November, when he was taken on strength by the 40th Battalion in Larkhill, England. On the 23rd of November, he travelled by ship from Southampton, England to Havre, in France, arriving the morning of the 24th November. The following day, Ivey left for Merris, France, arriving on the 27th of November at 6am.
Records then show Ivey`s Battalion left for Armentieres in France on the 2nd December. His Battalion entered into the line, relieving the 13th Battalion on the 10th of December. After six days on the front his Battalion was relieved by the 38th Battalion on the 16th of December.
During The First World War battalions operated in trench cycles. Typically battalions served spells in the front line, followed by stints in support and then in reserve lines. A period of rest would follow. Live relieving occurred where battalions replaced other battalions on the front line.
On the 11th of January 1917, Ivey was admitted to hospital with an abscess of the jaw, likely due to poor hygiene, conditions and nutrition. After five days of treatment and rest he returned to live duty on the 16th of January, 1917.
Ivey then fought for 6 months before being killed in action in the Regina Trench on the first day of the Battle of Messines, the 7th of June 1917. The Regina Trench was the longest trench on the German front during the First World War. His last unit was the 40th Battalion, 15th Platoon.
He died at the age of 27, though an error in cemetery records show he was 28 at the time of his death. Ivey's remains were never returned to Australia. He was buried in the Strand Military Cemetery, in Wallonie, Belgium, originally as an Unknown Australian Soldier. His family received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Disappointingly for his family, on the original memorial plaque and scroll, Roll of Honour Panel Number 132, in the Australian War Memorial, Ivey`s name had been misspelt - written as William James Poate Ivey rather than William James Pote Ivey. After determined efforts by his father the spelling was later corrected.