Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Horace Oswald Williams 17005

Horace was born on 1^st. January 1894 to Samuel Williams and Ann Lavercombe at Crookwell in New South Wales. He was the second of two brothers in a family of eleven to enlist in the first world war. Employed as a coach builder living at Lismore , he enlisted into the Army Medical Corps General Reinforcements on 27^th. January 1916 with the rank of private. Prior to overseas duty he was attached to No 1 depot AMC 26 reinforcements from 18^th. April 1916 to 27^th. April the following year, The unit embarked the HMAT Beltana A72  leaving Sydney on 16^th. June 1917 and arrived in Plymouth in August where he was sent to Aust. Medical Corps training depot.  As a medical orderly he then proceeded to France via the Southampton in early October. Marched into Rouelles on 11^th. October and proceeded to join the 5^th. Aust Division  attached to the 15^th Field ambulance.

The Australian Imperial Force in Egypt was expanded to four divisions before being transferred to the Western Front, with a fifth division raised in Australia.

The 15th Field Ambulance was the Field Ambulance Company that nominally supported the 15th Brigade of the Fifth Division, comprised of the 57th, 58th 59th and 60th Battalions, all from Victoria.  Field Ambulances were under command of the Division HQ and its soldiers were drawn from the Battalions and their reinforcement drafts in the Brigade to man and reinforce the Field Ambulance and other Brigade units. The Field Ambulance Company was responsible for 'Second Line' casualty evacuation from 'First Line' Regimental Aid Posts (RAP) in each battalion. The RAP belonged to the Battalion (or other units) and was manned by the Regimental Medial Officer (RMO), a qualified doctor generally of Captain rank supported by several non-commissioned officers (NCO) of Sergeant and Corporal rank, with a number of medical orderlies at the rank of Private. When an attack or advance was undertaken, the RAP would follow up the units' forward elements and were thus exposed to enemy direct fire (rifles and machine guns) and indirect fire (artillery mortar fire and even gas). The Field Ambulance would have personnel deployed forward to retrieve casualties from the RAP to the Field Ambulance Advanced Dressing Station and then to a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS).They would have to deploy forward to reach the RAP, and thus come under the same risks as the front line combat troops.

On the 7^th. September 1918 he went on leave to the UK for 2 weeks rejoining his unit on 21^st. The armistice was signed for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front at 1100 hours November 11 at Compiegne, France that same year.  He was still on active service and on 23^rd. November he failed to comply with an order given to him by an NCO in the execution of his duty and was fined 5 days pay.  AIF Headquarters in London granted him  leave for 3 months  from 5^th. April to 5^th.July 1919 for  non military employment while he attended Robert Thompson and Sons Ltd. at Southwick in England. He returned to his unit and was granted leave till the July 19 but as the war was over he went AWOL for 3 days and returned on the 22^nd. subsequently being fined 6 days pay. On the 3^rd. September 1919  Horace returned to Australia aboard the Euripedes arriving Sydney on 24^th. October  when the unit dissolved upon disembarking. He received his  official discharge from the AIF on 1^st. December 1919.

For his part in the war effort he received the British war medal, Victory medal and 1914/15 star.

Horace married Ellen A .Cronin at Lismore in 1921 and settled down to married life. On 15^th. November 1972 he passed away and is buried at Woronora Cemetry in Sutherland, NSW.