RALPH, William Ernest
| Service Number: | 6874 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15 Infantry Battalion AMF |
| Born: | Nambucca Heads, Nambucca Shire - New South Wales, Australia, 1 February 1893 |
| Home Town: | Nambucca Heads, Nambucca Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Nambucca Heads Public School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | carcinoma of the pancreas, Caringbah, 1 June 1963, aged 70 years |
| Cemetery: |
Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, New South Wales |
| Memorials: | Nambucca Heads War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6874, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6874, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane | |
| 3 Jul 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 6874, 15 Infantry Battalion AMF, Wounded in action but remain on duty |
Help us honour William Ernest Ralph's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Deborah Pearce
William Ernst Ralph was a proud Yuin man who first enlisted in the AIF in 1915 and was accepted into the 19th Battalion. However, in Dec 1915 his mother wrote to the Department of defence asking for her son to remove from the AIF.
At this time William's younger siblings and cousins had been removed from the Nambucca school at the request of the white parents as they were aboriginal.
Annie stated that if her children could not go to school why should her son fight for his country. Her reasoning was accepted and William was discharged from the AIF.
However, William was determined to fight for his country and successfully relisted in September 1916 at Lismore as part of the 23rd reinforcements for the 15th Infantry Battalion.
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