CHAPMAN, William John
| Service Number: | 7162 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 7 September 1887 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 15 May 1918, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 7162, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 1917: | Embarked Private, 7162, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
William John CHAPMAN, (Service Number 7162) was born on 7 September 1887 at Parramatta. He began working for the NSW Railways as a temporary labourer at Eveleigh on 3 March 1913 and was made a permanent employee in October 1914. During the Great Strike of 1917 he left work on strike on 3 August and was dismissed by proclamation on 14 August. However, Chapman must have seen this turmoil as an appropriate time to enlist, which he did on 27 August. The railway authorities then seem to have rescinded his dismissal, (it is ruled through on his card), and allowed for the payment of the difference between Departmental and military pay rates. A new entry for the same date he left work, shows him again as a labourer and continuing in nominal employment until his death in action in 1918.
He was killed in action near Morlancourt on 15 May 1917 when he was shot through the head by a sniper, dying instantly. Accounts vary but at least one describes the burial:
‘Some of the men went out then to bury those bodies that they could get at. They told me that they had seen Chapman. They gave him a rough burial, but did not dig a grave, no Cross. Where he was lying was too close to enemy to do anything much.’ (Private D G Troy 7157)
The exact location of his grave was lost, and his name is recorded on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial in Picardie, France.
Submitted 23 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William John CHAPMAN, (Service Number 7162) was born on 7th September 1887 at Parramatta. He began working for the NSW Railways as a temporary labourer at Eveleigh on 3rd March 1913 and was made a permanent employee in October 1914. He took part in the Great Strike of 1917 and left work (on strike) on 3rs August. He was dismissed by proclamation on 14th August. However, William must have seen this industrial problem as an appropriate time to enlist, which he did on 27th August. The railway authorities then seem to have rescinded his dismissal, (it is ruled through on his card) They allowed for the payment of the difference between Departmental and military pay rates.
His Attestation Papers signed on 29th August give his career as ‘hairdresser’. Perhaps this was his training, or perhaps, because of the Great Strike, he did not wish to be associated with the Railways.
William left Sydney on board HMAT ‘Euripides’ on 31st October 1917. He reached Devonport, UK, on 26th December 1917. After further training in England he proceeded overseas to France on 1st April via Dover. He joined the 17th Battalion on 16th April.
He was killed in action near Morlancourt on 15th May 1917; he died instantly.
Private D G Troy (7157) describes the burial:
‘Some of the men went out then to bury those bodies that they could get at. They told me that they had seen Chapman. They gave him a rough burial, but did not dig a grave, no Cross. Where he was lying was too close to enemy to do anything much.’
The exact location of his grave was lost. His name is recorded on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial in Picardie, France.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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