FEAGAN, William Albert
| Service Number: | 2903 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 59th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia, 28 September 1878 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bacon curer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 27 September 1917, aged 38 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Plot XXV, Row D, Grave No. 3A. MON BELOVED TILL WE MEET |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Queanbeyan Avenue of Memory, Queanbeyan Christ Church Honour Roll, Queanbeyan Fallen Soldiers War Memorial, Queanbeyan Public School Great War Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2903, 59th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2903, 59th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2903, 59th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Sydney | |
| 27 Sep 1917: | Involvement Corporal, 2903, 59th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2903 awm_unit: 59th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-09-27 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William was the son of William and Mary Jane Feagan, and the husband of Florence Eliza Feagan, of Wentworth Falls, NSW. He had been born and raised at ‘Googong’ Queanbeyan, NSW.
His younger brother, 530 Pte. Alexander Thomas Feagan, an original member of the 18th Battalion AIF, was killed in action at Hill 60, Gallipoli, 27 August 1915, aged 32.
William Albert Feagan served in the Boer War with A Battery of the NSW Permanent Artillery (Royal Australian Artillery). He was part of the Second New South Wales Contingent which left Sydney on 14 November 1899. In South Africa he served as a Galloper (messenger on horseback) to staff officers until A Battery arrived. He served with the battery February 1900 - August 1901 in Cape Colony, Free State and Transvaal. The Battery was armed with 15 pounder breech loaders, and split into sections (two guns each) and scattered across the battlefield. He served as a Horse Minder during this time.
There is no mention of 2630 W. Feagan in the nominal roll for A Battery Royal Aust Arty but he was certainly a member of A Battery, even winning some shooting competitions in 1899, and there are mentions of a William 'Bill' Feagan with the artillery in various letters home from the Boer War and published by newspapers. His Boer War service is also shown on his WWI enlistment application.
William enlisted for WW1 service during September 1916 and joined the 59th Battalion at the Western Front on 2 April 1917. He was most severely wounded on 26 September 1917, by shell fragments. He died in a Casualty Clearing Station the next day, from multiple shrapnel wounds to the upper body.
Another brother, 6258 Pte. Sydney Richard Feagan 2nd Battalion AIF, was returned to Australia with pleurisy during late 1917.
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