PRIOR, William Stanley
| Service Numbers: | 2779, 2779A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Marrabel, South Australia, 27 March 1893 |
| Home Town: | Julia, Goyder, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 30 July 1918, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Eudunda War Memorial, Eudunda and District WW1 Roll of Honour, Marrabel District Honour Roll, Marrabel War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Feb 1916: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 2779, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 2779, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Adelaide | |
| 30 Jul 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 2779A, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2779A awm_unit: 32nd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-07-30 |
Letter from commanding officer
In 2012 we did a tour of Australia's western front battlefields and cemeteries. As we did not have any direct relatives who fought in WW1, we "adopted" a soldier to honour for his tour of duty. From an old copy of the Kapunda Herald, dated 5th May 1916 that we held for our own family's records, we found a brief report;
"Mr T Prior, of Julia has received a cable message from his son, Private W. S. Prior, that he had arrived at Cairo, "all is well" ". So we decided research William.
Prior to leaving for our trip, I searched the AWM records and found that William Stanley Prior, a member of the 32nd Battalion was killed in action on 30th July 1918 tragically a few months before war's end. William had no known grave.
From 32nd Battalion's war diary of July 1918 and our tour guide's trench map information, we achieved our goal of being able to visit the approximate spot where William was killed.
We then visited the museum above the Australia School in Villers Brettonneux. As we looked through the exhibits, to our astonishment, displayed there was the original letter from William's commanding officer to his mother explaining his death.
What are the chances of picking, at random, one of 400,000 Australian soldiers of the Great War to honour, finding he has no grave but then being "guided" by him to find such a very tangible and personal link.
Even though we are not family, we will remember you William and your service to Australia.
Submitted 25 April 2015 by Philip Sykes
Biography
Letter to the Mother of William Stanley PRIOR
France 3rd August 1918
Dear Mrs Prior,
It is with feelings of deepest sympathy that I find it necessary to write these few lines. Your son was killed in action on the 30th of last month, which you have no doubt long since heard, but a few extra particulars may prove of interest. He was an N.C.O. in my platoon, and an abler or more conscientious NCO was not to be found in the battalion. Both in and out of the line his sterling qualities continually shone out, and made him beloved by officers and men alike. His courage and cheerfulness in the line, under all conditions, proved valuable on many occasions, and few feel his loss keener than myself. He was killed while in charge of a party bringing rations to the line, after the battalion had taken 2 lines of enemy trenches, & while the enemy was still barraging the rear areas. He was buried where he fell near the old front line, with a small cross to mark the last resting place of a soldier and a man. The few effects he had have been sent on by the adjutant.
Sincerely Yours,
George Abjornson Liet 32nd Bn
(George Vincent Abjornson, Lieutenant, 32nd Battalion, aged 23 at the time of writing)
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