WILLIAMS, James Henry
| Service Number: | 66548 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 16th to 27th Reinforcements (NSW) |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | East Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Cutter |
| Died: | Influenza and Pneumonia, Australia, 14 December 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Rockingham Cemetery, Western Australia Rockingham Cemetery, Rockingham, Western Australia, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Oct 1918: | Involvement Private, 66548, 16th to 27th Reinforcements (NSW), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1918: | Embarked Private, 66548, 16th to 27th Reinforcements (NSW), HMAT Boonah, Adelaide | |
| 14 Dec 1918: | Involvement Private, 66548, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 66548 awm_unit: 21 General Service Reinforcements awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-12-14 |
Private James Henry Williams
The troopship, 'Boonah' arrived back in Fremantle in 1918 bearing soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu then rampant in South Africa where the ship had docked. A number of the soldiers, quarantined at Woodman Point, and the nurses attending them died.
James died from that disease on 14 December 1918 and was buried at East Rockingham cemetery the following day (RC 5). He was just 21 years of age, from Sydney, New South Wales.
A room in the museum at the former quarantine station, and a Boonah memorial outside the former Isolation Hospital commemorates the tragic loss of life. James and other men and women were also honoured at a Boonah Century Commemoration Ceremony at the former quarantine station in December 2018.
66548 Private / J.H. Williams / Australian Imperial Force / 14th December 1918 / May God rest his soul.
AWM Roll of Honour, Panel 185
Lest We Forget.
Submitted 31 May 2025 by gail dodd