Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Shaw served in both the South African (Boer) War and WW1. First Service was as a Private S.N. 220 in the 1st Queensland Imperial Bushmen, Boer War. Second service was as a Provate rising to Corporal S.N. 327, 12th Infantry Battalion AIF, WW1.

Note- The National Archives does not hold a Boer War Dossier for this soldier, however, it does hold a Dossier for a William Shaw S.N. 132, 2nd QMI. This file has a cover sheet attached indicating the Dossier also covers the service of William Shaw S.N. 220, 1st QMI, and William Fitzroy Shaw S.N. 914, 1st BACH, i.e. suggesting they are the one person who served 3 times in the Boer War. This appears to be incorrect and in fact each was a different soldier. 

William Shaw S.N. 220 served the full tour of the 1st QMI returning with the contingent which arrived in Brisbane 16 Jan 1901. This was after the 2nd QMI, containing William Shaw S.N. 132, had embarked from Brisbane on 13 Jan 1901. There is a separate Boer War Dossier for William Fitzroy Shaw S.N. 914 which contains his Attestation paper showing he enlisted on 9 Jan 1902 and had no prior military service.

When William Shaw (S.N. 220) first enlisted in 1899 in the 1st QMI and his details were published with the rank and file in The Brisbane Courier, 18 Nov 1899, he was recorded as Private W. Shaw, single, care of Mrs. G. Gardiner, Killarney South via Warwick. In the Boer War Service Paybooks for the 1st QMI, Bk 1 p. 102, it is noted he directed part of his pay to Mrs. W. Upston, Evelyn St, St Kilda, Victoria, who appears to have been one of his sisters. His contact details post discharge was noted as care of Mrs. G. Gardiner, 55 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Victoria, again assumed to be one of his sisters.

The service paybooks note, that like a number of the men, he was seconded to the South African Police between 19 Jun 1900 and 5 Nov 1900. He served the full tour of the 1st QMI returning aboard S.S. Orient with the contingent that arrived in Brisbane on 16 Jan 1901. The service paybooks note, however, he disembarked in Melbourne and was granted furlough there until 23 Feb 1901. It appears this was either to allow him to visit his parents, or Mrs Upston, who were residing at St Kilda, or so that he could take up residence there.

By 1914 he was living in Brighton, back in his birth state of Tasmania, when he enlisted again in 1914. On his Attestation Paper dated, 20 Aug 1914, it is noted that; he was born at Westbury, Tasmania, and was 38 years of age; he was single and a cook having apprenticed at St Kilda, Mebourne; his N.O.K. was his brother H. (Henry) Shaw, Croydon, North Queensland; and he had previously served in the 1st QMI in South Africa.

William Shaw was born on 23 Mar 1868 at Westbury, Tasmania, a son to Samuel John Shaw and Hannah Shaw (nee polland). His father was a married retired British Army Corporal who accompanied convicts on a ship to Tasmania arriving there in Nov 1850. It appears he liked what he seen in Tasmania and decided to bring his wife and then 3 children out to settle there, where they had a further 8 children including William.

It is unclear what William was doing in Queensland prior to enlisting in the Boer War in 1899, however, members of his family were in Queensland including his two older brothers James and Henry, who it appears were persuing the gold rush at Croydon that occured between 1885 and early 1920s.

As indicated previously, it appears he returned to family in Melbourne after the Boer War and served a 5 year apprenticeship there to qualify as a cook and then went back to live in Tasmania. He was discharged from his WW1 service in Tasmania in 1916. Sometime between 1916 and 1918 he married Catherine Padfield and they had 2 children in Tasmania.

He had been granted a war pension and his pension case file notes he had requested payment to be redirected to him at Coominya, Qld, where he relocated in 1921. He had moved there to take up a selection of farm land granted under the Soldiers Settlers scheme.

It appears though that this was not as good as it might be. Newspaper reports in 1922-23 indicate that the farmland was not capable of producing commercial crops without extensive use of costly fertilisers. The reports note he was part of the delegation that petitioned the State Government for alternative selections for the affected farmers on more favourable land. He passed in 1956 and is buried in the cemetery at Yelarbon which is in the Goondiwindi district of Qld. 

(source- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 453; Qld State Archives- Boer War Service Paybooks 1st QMI, Bk 1 p. 102; National Archives Australia- WW1 Service Record; National Archives Australia- Repatriation Pension Case File; OAWGC- Commemoration details).