MCCARTY, William Woodroff
| Service Number: | 4880 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 July 1915, Melbourne, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 46th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Macarthur, Victoria, Australia, 1885 |
| Home Town: | Warrnambool, Warrnambool, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Macarthur State School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 14 April 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Achiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension I B 28 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Warrnambool Soldiers' Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4880, 14th Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4880, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4880, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Melbourne | |
| 20 May 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 46th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Nov 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 46th Infantry Battalion | |
| 21 Nov 1916: | Honoured Military Medal |
Help us honour William Woodroff McCarty's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Richard John and Sarah Jane McCarty, of "Wendover," 7, Banyan St., Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
THE PRICE OF PEACE
Military Medal
'Showed great gallantry during the raid on the enemy's trenches in the HOLLANDSCHESCHUUR Salient on the night of 30th September, 1916.
4880 Lance Corporal William Woodroffe McCarty MM, 14th Battalion (15th Reinforcement Group). Born at Macarthur in 1885, the son of Richard John and Sarah Jane (Strain) McCarty, he was a labourer when he enlisted, aged 30, on 15th July 1915. Embarked on HMAT A68 Anchises on 14th March 1916 with his brother John Strain McCarty. Transferred to 46th Battalion, awarded the Military Medal, gazetted 6th January 1917: “He showed great gallantry during the raid on the enemy’s trenches in the Hollandeschuur Salient on the night of 30th September 1916.” He died on 14th April 1917 at 49th Casualty Clearing Station (Gezaincourt) of wounds suffered at Bullecourt. Buried Achiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension, France, Grave I.B.28.
The Warrnambool Standard of Friday 8 February 1918 carried a message from the King: “Heroes At The Front. The Late Pte WW McCarty. Mrs S. J. McCarty, Coulstock street, Warrnamboo1, has received from the Base Records Office the Military Medal awarded to her son, the late Pte W.W. McCarty, accompanied by the following letter from Major McLean, Officer in Charge of Base Records: "It is with feeling of admiration at the gallantry of a brave Australian soldier, who nobly, laid down his life in the service of our King and Country, that I am directed by the Hon. the Minister to forward to you, as the next of kin of the late Private W. W. McCarty 46th Battalion, A.I.F., the Military Medal, which His Majesty, the King has been graciously pleased to award to that gallant soldier for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty while serving with the Australian Imperial Expeditionary Force. I am also to ask you to, accept his deep personal sympathy in the loss which, not only you, but the Australian Army has sustained by the death of Pte. McCarty, whose magnificent conduct on the field of battle helped 'to earn for our Australian soldiers a fame which will endure as long as memory lasts."
Sources: Blair & Affleck, For King & Country – Great War Enlistments from Warrnambool and District; Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour; National Archives of Australia; The AIF Project; Virtual War Memorial Australia; Warrnambool Standard 8 February 1918; Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Courtesy of James Affleck 2025