Timon Claude WILSON

WILSON, Timon Claude

Service Number: 6369
Enlisted: 12 July 1916, Melbourne, Vic.
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 7th Infantry Battalion
Born: Glenthompson, Victoria, Australia, 2 July 1887
Home Town: Glenthompson, Southern Grampians, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Farmer
Died: Killed in Action, France, 23 April 1917, aged 29 years
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Glenthompson War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial
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World War 1 Service

12 Jul 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6369, 7th Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic.
11 Sep 1916: Involvement Private, 6369, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: ''
11 Sep 1916: Embarked Private, 6369, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Melbourne

Killed by a shell

Timon Claude Wilson was born on 2 July 1887 in Glen Thompson, Victoria, teh son of Timon and Ellen Wilson. Before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 12 July 1916, at the age of 29, he was working as a farmer. His younger brother, 510 Sergeant Percy Edward Wilson, had served with the 4th Light Horse Regiment at Gallipoli. However, Percy contracted enteric fever and was repatriated to Australia on 10 March 1916.

Timon was assigned service number 6369 and embarked from Melbourne on 11 September 1916 aboard HMAT Euripides with the 20th Reinforcements, 7th Battalion, AIF. He disembarked in Plymouth on 26 October 1916 and proceeded to France on 17 December. Just a week later, he joined his battalion on 24 December 1916, which was then out of the line, stationed in Nissen huts at Melbourne Camp, Mametz.

The men received Christmas Billies from the Lady Mayoress' Committee on Christmas Day, filled with Christmas puddings and accompanied by a tot of rum for each soldier. The battalion, having recently undergone a reorganisation, now comprised four companies with 16 platoons, and a newly formed 17th platoon designated for training recent reinforcements. Timon was likely assigned to this platoon during his integration into the unit.

On 7 January 1917, the battalion relocated to Buire, occupying billets for a week before moving to Warloy-Baillon on 13 January. They endured intensely cold weather, surrounded by snow and frozen water. With no tree in sight, the men resorted to salvaging wood from old German dugouts to light their fires. Off-duty soldiers would cluster around braziers, warming one side of their bodies before turning around to warm the other.

Throughout February, the battalion took part in raids around Bayonet Trench and the Maze, probing and harassing enemy positions as the Germans began their strategic withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line. On 24 February, a successful raid by the battalion allowed them to occupy Bayonet Trench despite encountering heavy shellfire from the enemy.

During March, the 7th Battalion faced intense engagements in the Thilloy sector, suffering casualties from heavy shelling and booby traps left behind by the retreating Germans. Poor weather and harsh trench conditions persisted as the unit moved closer to the Hindenburg Line in preparation for a larger offensive.
On the morning of 15 April, the battalion was urgently deployed to Fremicourt to support the 3rd Brigade, which had been counterattacked by German forces at Lagnicourt. Taking up positions around the village, they faced strong enemy resistance and sustained casualties from artillery and machine-gun fire.

On the night of 23 April 1917, the 7th Battalion was relieved by the 6th Battalion, Border Regiment. According to eyewitness reports, Wilson was serving with 12 Platoon, “C” Company, when a shell landed directly in his trench, killing him instantly.

6346 Private Herbert Swindells later recounted: “I saw Wilson killed instantly by a shell in the front line at Bullecourt, about two miles to the right of the village on April 23rd ’17. He was buried where he fell, alongside Fraser (6268 Private Alexander Fraser), who was killed by the same shell. We were unable to mark the grave in any way as shelling was ongoing heavily at the time. The grave would be hard to trace now. I knew Wilson well and came from Melbourne with him on the Euripides, leaving on September 11th ’16.”

Further details were provided by 3247 Sergeant Leslie Bonney, who confirmed that Wilson had been on garrison duty at an outpost in front of Pronville, near Bapaume. He was buried by the same shell that killed Fraser around midday. Additionally, 4312 Private George Wilson Seamons stated that Wilson and Fraser had been manning a Lewis gun when they were killed, noting, “They were great friends.”

Afterwards, Wilson’s grave could not be located, and he is commemorated today on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France.

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Biography

Son of Timon and Ellen WILSON, Glenthompson, Vic.

6369 Pte Timon Claude Wilson (born at Glenthompson on 2nd July 1887) enlisted in the 7th Battalion on 12th July 1916, embarking from Melbourne on 11th September 1916 on HMAT A14 Euripides, a month and a half after his younger brother was evacuated back to Australia. Their father Timon was born in Hamilton in 1865, the only son of Joseph and Sarah Esther (Floyd) Wilson, who had married in 1864.

After the withdrawal from Gallipoli in December 1915, the Seventh Battalion AIF returned to Egypt. In March 1916, it sailed for France and the Western Front and entered the front line trenches for the first time on 3 May. The battalion's first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme valley where it fought between 23-27 July and 15-21 August. After Pozieres the battalion manned trenches in the Ypres salient in Belgium, before returning to the Somme valley. It saw out the horrendous winter of 1916-1917 rotating between training, working parties and duty in the trenches.

In early 1917, the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line and the 7th Battalion participated in the brief advance that followed and then came to a grinding halt before Bullecourt. The battalion was withdrawn from the front line for training on 9 May 1917 and did not return to action until the Ypres offensive of September and October. It fought major battles at Menin Road on 20 September and Broodseinde on 4 October, and then spent much of ensuing winter in the Ypres mud.

Timon served through the campaigns until Bullecourt in April 1917, when he was killed in action on 23rd April 1917, H Swindell of C Company reported to the Red Cross Information Bureau: “I saw Wilson killed instantly by a shell in the front line at Bullecourt, about two miles to the right of the village, he was buried where he fell, with Fraser, who was killed by the same shell. We were unable to mark the grave in any way, as shelling was going on heavily at the time. The grave would be hard to trace now. I knew Wilson well, and came from Melbourne with him in the Euripides, leaving on 11th September. Height 5 feet 11 inches, inclined to be ‘Sandy’.” Sgt L Bonney of 12th Platoon reported: “Wilson was in my platoon and on 23rd April was doing garrison duty in front of Prouville near Bapaume, and on the right of Bullecourt, and about midday he was buried with the same shell as Fraser, and was dead when got out. He was buried in the same grave as Fraser, and his name is alongside him on the same cross.” 4313 Cpl Charles Leslie Seamons noted: “I was standing in a trench in front of Bapaume on 23rd April in a bay a little distance from where Wilson and Alec Fraser were standing when a shell dropped right into the trench and killed both of them. I assisted to pull both men from out of the fallen earth. Wilson, I should say was killed of concussion while Fraser was blown to pieces practically. Sgt Bonney and myself buried both men at the back of the trench in a shell hole. The belongings of both men were sent to their people.” Captain WH Campbell reported: “Pte Wilson was killed by a 5.9.shell on 23rd April at Prouville near Queant on the Hindenburg Line. He was blown to bits and collected the bits and buried them at the rear of the trench. As we were advancing at the time there was no time for putting up a cross or having a padre to bury him. He and Fraser and two others were buried like this. I cannot describe him accurately, as he had only been with me about a week.” Pte George William Seamons: “I knew them both well, they were in my Company (C, XIIth Platoon). They were both on the same Lewis gun, I was sitting with them when they were killed instantly by a shell near Lagnicourt on 23rd April, daylight, about 4pm. I helped to bury them near where they were killed in the same grave. They were great friends and we put a cross on the grave. I could point out the spot.” 2nd Lt D Phillips: “They were both in my Platoon, No.12 C Company and I was in the trench at Lagnicourt on 23rd April when they were killed by the same shell during a barrage the Germans put up. They were buried in the same grave behind the trench.” Alexander Robert Seamons: “I knew him well, he was in C Company, XIIth Platoon, and came with the 20th Reinforcement. His initials are as stated, but I do not know the number. He was a farmer before he joined, and was tall dark and about 25 years of age. He was buried at Lagnicourt behind our trench by my brother, GW Seamons, Stretcher Bearer, in the same grave with Pte AS Fraser of the same Company and Platoon. I saw the grave with their names on the cross.” (Three Seamons brothers, Alex, Charles John and George, from Tatura, and a cousin Charles Leslie, from Murchison, embarked on the Euripides. Charles John Seamons died of wounds on 17th August 1916 at Pozieres, and is buried at Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-la-Boiselle, Pozieres, Picardie, France). L/Cpl George Francis Evans told more about Wilson and Fraser’s demise: “I was told about Wilson by Witford who was on the gun with him at the time, in charge of the Section. Witford said that Wilson was killed by a shell which buried him and another fellow. The shell was with such force that it must have smashed them before it buried them almost the same minute. This was some time in April on the right of Bullecourt on the Somme, before we got to Bullecourt, I think it was Fraser who was killed with Wilson. A good type of a lad, young about 20, fair, was trained in the Gun section by informant.” Evans reported this as told to him by Witford. These reports were made to the Red Cross Information Bureau some time after the events took place, thus the news varied drastically from one informant to another. Timon’s grave was subsequently lost in further fighting, his name is commemorated on the Villers Bretonneus Memorial (Australian National Memorial), the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, and the Glenthompson War Memorial.

Timon’s name is commemorated on Panel 52 on the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France. Villers-Bretonneux is a village about 15 km east of Amiens. The Memorial stands on the high ground ('Hill 104') behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, which is about 2 km north of Villers-Bretonneux on the east side of the road to Fouilloy.

Courtesy of James Affleck

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