11083
MUDGE, William Samuel
| Service Number: | 2225 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Payneham, Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia , 27 June 1958, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
St George's Church of England Cemetery, Magill, S.A. |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Campbelltown WW1 Memorial, Payneham District Council Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2225, 50th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2225, 50th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 2225, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 2225, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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William Samuel Mudge was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1891. He worked as a Laborer before being enlisted into the war. William was a Methodist of the Church of England. William lived on Payneham road, Payneham, Adelaide, South Australia with his wife Annie Lydia Mudge and his 1 child. William enlisting for the war on the 9th of may 1916 at the age of 25 and a ½ he was only 5 foot 6 and weight 145 lbs. His complexion was medium with brown eyes and brown hair.
William embarked from Adelaide South Australia on the 9th of May 1916 on the ship HMAT Ballarat “A70”. William spent most of his time fighting with the 2nd Depot Battalion A.I.F. The 2nd Depot Battalion A.I.F was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the First World War. Like the 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions it was recruited from New South Wales and together with these battalions formed the 1st brigade.
William began his journey by first stopping in Egypt. Egypt is where the soldiers would train and would gain a great deal of knowledge and understanding about being an army solider. He then proceeded overseas to France and this then lead to his first battle which was the battle of the Arges which took place on the 5th of December 1916. William fought in France and went to hospital on the 30th of December 1917. William was in hospital for 40 days for a reason that has not yet been recognised and then rejoined the unit on the 12th of March 1917.
William was reported missing in action in Bapaume, France on the 2nd of April 1917, then being a prisoner of war being captured by the enemy in war, Germany. He was held prisoner in Limburg, Netherlands He was reported gone for approximately 1 year, 7 months and 10 days. Soldiers that have been captured by the enemy are usually held in prisoner of war camps. Prisoners are usually tortured to death or manipulated to find out secrets from there army base. William was then reported to have returned to England on the 6th of December 1918. William returned back to Australia on the 5th of January in 1919. World war 1 ended 9 months and 16 days after his dispatch from being an army soldier.
“I am quite well, we had a hot time 2nd April” quoted William on a post card sent to his wife on the 13th of July 1917. This was sent when he was interned.
William earned three medals during his time in war. One was the 1914/15 Star medal. This was a medal that was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of WW1. British War Medal was given to William on the 4th of 1916. This is a medal was rewarded for the time period that he contributed in war for. The last medal that was earned was the Victory medal, this medal is to commemorate the victory of the Allied Forces over the central powers. This solider showed a lot of bravery and strong courage throughout his time in the war and his time after war, he is remembered for that until this day.
Williams memorial where his name is mentioned is located on the Corner of Gorge Road and Lower North East Road, Campbelltown, South Australia, Australia.