FRY, William
| Service Number: | 3145 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 July 1915, Liverpool |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Penclawdd, Llanrhidian Higher, Glamorgan, Wales, January 1883 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Died of wounds, No 14 General Hospital at Wimereux, France, 26 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Wimereux Communal Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais - Hauts-de-France INSCRIPTION IN MEMORY OF THE BELOVED SON OF MR.& MRS.R.FRY, PENCLAWDD AGED 33 Grave I. O. 25A. , Wimereux Communal Cemetery, Wimereux, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3145, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3145, 1st Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3145, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), GSW both legs (severe) | |
| 26 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 3145, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3145 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-26 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Probable birth record
Births Mar 1883 FRY William Gower 11a 761.
William was the son of Richard and Elizabeth Fry, of Penlan, Penclawdd. He worked as a miner prior to migrating to Australia in the winter of 1913-1914, and enlisted at Sydney on 3 August 1915 into the 10th Reinforcements of the 1st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. He embarked at Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A69 Warilda on 8 October 1915 and upon arriving in Egypt joined the main AIF camp at Tel-el-Kebir. The AIF was doubled early in 1916 and on 13 February 1916 William was transferred to the newly formed 53rd Battalion, AIF. The battalion was made up of men from Sydney, a core of veterans from the 1st Battalion, with freshly arrived men making up the strength, and was attached to 14 Brigade, 5th Australian Division. The battalion arrived in France on 27 June 1916, entered the front line for the first time on 10 July, and became embroiled in its first major battle on the Western Front, at Fromelles, on 19 July 1916, a diversion intended to draw away German resources from the main battle to the south, on the Somme. The battle of Fromelles was a disaster. The 53rd Battalion was part of the initial assault and suffered grievously, incurring 625 casualties, including its commanding officer, amounting to over three-quarters of its attacking strength during the initial assault. Casualty rates among the rest of the 5th Division were similarly high. William was badly wounded on 19 July, suffering gunshot wounds to both legs. He was evacuated back to No 14 General Hospital at Wimereux, where he died of his wounds at 16.15 on 26 July 1916, aged 33.
He is honoured on the Penclawdd War Memorial
Penclawdd is a village which is situated in the north of the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, just south of Loughor and near to the Carmarthenshire border. The village is most famous for its local cockle industry which goes back to Roman times, and was once home to a thriving coal mining industry and a thriving sea port. The village contains a black granite war memorial, which commemorates its men of the area of Llanrhidian Higher, which comprises the villages of Penclawdd with Crofty, Llanmorlais and Wernffrwd, who fell during both world wars.
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