ABOTOMEY, Walter
| Service Number: | 2329 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 June 1915, Liverpool, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Dunsterforce |
| Born: | Petersburg, South Australia, 1 November 1893 |
| Home Town: | Peterborough (Formerly Petersburg), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Printer |
| Died: | Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Mitcham Sanatorium, Mitcham, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1 October 1920, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (General) Adelaide, South Australia Row 7, Road 2, SE (GRM/5*) |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Norwood Primary School Honour Board, South Australian Garden of Remembrance |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2329, Liverpool, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 2329, 1st Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' |
|
| 14 Jul 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2329, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney | |
| 1 Oct 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 2329, 1st Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 2329, 1st Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 3 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 2329, 1st Infantry Battalion, Polygon Wood | |
| 30 Dec 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Corporal, 1st Infantry Brigade Headquarters | |
| 25 Jan 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sergeant, Dunsterforce | |
| 28 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2329 |
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Born in Petersburg (now known as Peterborough) South Australia.
Described on enlisting as 21years 7 months; 5’ 9 ½” tall; 150lbs; fair complexion; dark brown eyes;
dark hair; single; Presbyterian – youngest of 7 (6 older brothers).
Father: died when Walter was a child (cause unknown)
Next of kin: Brother, William Abotomey – "Macleay", Harrow Road, Rockdale NSW
Last known address: Ocean St, Kogarah NSW
6/6/1915 War service: taken on strength
12/6/1915 Completed medical – fit for service
14/6/1915 Enlisted as Private
16/6/1915 Commanding Officer appointed Walter into 1st Battalion, 7th Reinforcements.
14/7/1915 Embarked from Sydney on HMAT Orsova A67
as a Private with the 1st Infantry Battalion, 7th Reinforcements
01/10/1915 Temporary Corporal in Gallipoli
until evacuated with influenza a few weeks later.
20/10/1915 Anzac, Gallipoli, Reverts to Private, upon evacuation to hospital
26/10/1915 Admitted to Auberge De Baviere Mil Hospital – Malta (with influenza)
9/11/1915 Transferred to All Saints Camp, Malta.
4/1/1916 Discharged to duty (ex All Saints Conv. Camp)
reverted to rank of Private upon evacuation to Hospital
4/1/1916 Embarked for Egypt, ex “Bornu”
13/1/1916 Joined Battalion 7th Reinforcement, Tel El Kebir, Egypt
27/1/1916 Crime – Absent from Camp from 23-28/1/1916 – award 7 days
forfeit of pay
13/3/1916 Promoted to Lance Corporal
22/3/1916 Proceeded to join British Expeditionary Force, ex Alexandria, Egypt
Ex O.C. HMT “Ivernia
28/3/1916 Disembarked at Marseilles, France
13/8/1916 Promoted to Temp Corporal – France, with 61st Battalion
and 1st Battalion - Evacuated sick
26/10/1916 Promoted to Corporal, 1st Battalion – in the field
29/11/1916 On Command to Divisional School of Instruction
29/12/1916 Rejoined unit from Divisional School of Instruction
23/1/1917 Sick – sent to Bulford Mil Hospital in UK.
5/2/1917 Sick – transferred to Parkhouse Military Hospital
16/1/1917 “C” Depot from No.1 Company, Parkham Downs
23/1/1917 Admitted to Bulford Mil Hospital, for treatment whilst on leave
5/2/1917 Transferred to Parkhouse Mil Hospital
12/3/1917 Absent from duty 49 days
23/3/1917 Taken on strength. Transferred to 61st Battalion - London
Transferred to 61st Battalion
5/4/1917 Sick to 16th Field Ambulance from 61st Battalion
8/5/1917 Marched in to 61st Battalion, from Wareham, England
23/4/917 Absent from unit for a period of no less than “3 months” on account of
wounds or sickness and is placed on supernumeracy list, England
11/8/1917 Marched in from 61st Battalion, reinforce 1st Battalion
11/8/1917 Transferred to 1st Battalion and marched out to overseas
Training Brigade Perham Downs, England
20/8/1917 Corporal - Proceeded overseas to France, via Southampton
Training Brigade, Perham Downs, England
21/8/1917 From England – arrived into Hauvre
26/8/1917 Taken on strength of 1st Battalion AIF from 61st Battalion
29/9/1917 Promoted - Temporary Sergeant
30/9/1917 Evacuated Wounded in action - France
3/10/1917 Reverts to permanent rank of Corporal – on being evacuated
wounded (shot in the thigh) - France
5/10/1917 Taken back to Boulogne
20/11/1917 Rejoined Battalion, from wounded in France
30/12/1917 Taken on strength. Serving with 'Dunsterforce', from France
22/1/1918 Detached for duty with 1st Australian Infantry Brigade Headquarters
25/1/1918 Selected for Special Duty with Imperial Army “Dunsterforce”
A special force established to reorganise resistance to enemy advances
in Mesopotamia and Persia.
A Unit whose movements were strictly secret
(vide Correspondence Defence A.469/1/104) - Service in Caucases.
Established in 1917, Dunsterforce was an Allied military mission of under 1,000 Australian, New Zealand, British, and Canadian troops (drawn from the Mesopotamian (en.wikipedia.org) and Western (en.wikipedia.org) Fronts), accompanied by armoured cars, deployed from Hamadan (en.wikipedia.org) some 350 km across Qajar Persia (en.wikipedia.org). It was named after its commander General Lionel Dunsterville (en.wikipedia.org). Its mission was to gather information, train and command local forces, and prevent the spread of German propaganda.
10/3/1918 Promoted to Sergeant, to complete establishment and to remain
01/5/1918 Diagnosed with severe tuberculosis.
19/5/1918 Sergeant admitted to hospital – invalided to India, per A.J. Syria
and struck off strength
9/1/1919 Travelled on SS Gracchus on way home to Australia
- had a slight haemoptysis
18/3/1919 Sick with Pulmonary Tuberculosis – at Bodington Santorium
22/3/1919 Returned to Australia on board 'Janis', from Calcutta
4/4/1919 Transferred from NSW 1st Battalion
Requested discharge to Kalyna Sanatorium SA
16/5/1919 Recommended to transfer to No.4 Military District (SA),
as he is now able to travel.
18/5/1919 Stationed at Keswick, South Australia
28/5/1919 Discharged from service
1/10/1920 Died (aged 26) in Mitcham Sanatorium, South Australia
due to Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
Buried: West Terrace Cemetery
General, Row 7, Road 2; SE (GRM/5*)
Adelaide, South Australia.
MEDALS:
WWI Star 1914-15 (2170); British War medal (27849) ; Victory medal (2757).
Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 4 August 2014. Lest we forget.
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