Walter (Waddy) ABOTOMEY

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)
Row 7, Road 2, SE (GRM/5*)
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Norwood Primary School Honour Board, South Australian Garden of Remembrance
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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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Biography

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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