Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War.  The war that occurred from the 28th July 1914 until 11 November 1918. It was a war that involved several powerful nations at that time. A conflict between the Allies and the Central Powers, involving about 70 military personnel. The major warfare was the western front, the border of France and Germany. A number of 15 major battles were fought and the battle of Somme was the bloodiest battle that cost over 1 million men lives in 4 months. About 300,00 Australians took part in the war and 46,000 men didn’t make their way home while 132,000 were wounded. At the end, the Allies won the war and both sides suffered a significant number of total death toll over 17 million, including 7 millions of civilians.

William Henry Balchin was born on 23 May 1898. He was born in Old Anlaby Road, Kapunda in South Australia. William grew up in South Australia and he went to Petersburg and Hamley Bridge Public School. He was a laborer before he enlisted. He was 18 years old when he enlisted in the army and he hadn't joined any war or had any military service record before. He was single and lived in 12 George Street together with his father James Balchin and his mom Mrs. S J C Balchin.  Their whole family was Anglican.

William signed the attestation paper on 12 August 1915 and was enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 23 August 1915 with the rank of private. He enlisted 3 months after he turned 18 years old in Adelaide with the regimental number of 3678. He then embarked on RMS Malwa on 2 December 1915. He was first sent to serve in Egypt from March to June 1916 with the 48th Infantry Battalion which was the former 16th infantry Battalion. They docked at Marseilles on 9 June then headed to the western front by rail.

At the western front, they joined the 4th Australian Division and fought there until the end of the war. From the start on the western front, the battalion fought in the trenches under extreme conditions until 1918 in French and Belgium. William’s first major battle on the western front is the Battle of Pozieres from the 23 July till the 8 August 1916 which the battalion suffered a significant number of casualties. In the year of 1917, they spent the whole year attempting to break through the Hindenburg Line in Belgium and eastern France. Then in March and April of 1918, the battalion assisted in stopping the German spring offensive. The failure of the German Army led to the Hundred Days offensive, which led to the end of war.

However, on 5 April the last day of Operation Michael that the German army launched, William was injured badly while he was defending the Allies when he was in Albert, France. He then was invalided and sent to the Birmingham War Hospital. After being in Birmingham for a while, he was transferred to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford and hadn't taken part in the war since then. Just like William, after suffering a devastating of 843 losses during the war, the battalion didn’t see action after the spring offensive. A year after being hospitalised, William finally returned to Australia on 12 May 1919 after leaving his home for 3 years and 5 months. He was discharged on 13 August 1919 with the rank of private. Along with his comrades in the 48th Battalion, they were awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal, and the 1914-1915 Star.
After the war, he lived for another 61 years in Adelaide and died on the 1 July 1980. He was buried in the Enfield Memorial Park, S.A.

Son of William James BALCHIN and Susan Jane Clara nee BARTHOLOMEW