CORE, William
| Service Number: | 1732 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Thornthwaite, England, July 1885 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Apr 1915: | Involvement Private, 1732, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1915: | Embarked Private, 1732, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
William Core was born in July 1885 in Thornthwaite, England. His father lived at 6 Eastville Place, in Yorkshire England. Before the war, Core worked as a miner in Australia. Core enlisted when he was 29 years old, and joined the army. Core was 5”6 inches tall and he was about 63kg, with a 32 inch chest, light brown hair and light blue eyes. He was identified as fresh and had a vaccination in his left arm. His religion was the Church of England.
Core enlisted on the 24th of December 1914 to fight in the First World War. When Core enlisted he was ranked as a private and was assigned to the 10th Battalion, Fourth Reinforcement of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). After Core enlisted he went through training, first in Australia, then in Egypt, before preparing to go fight for his country overseas. He embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board the HMAT Port Lincoln on the 1st of April 1915.
Core was officially taken on strength on the 6th of April 1915. During the Gallipoli campaign, Core landed as a private, the 10th Battalion was one of the first to land at Gallipoli on the 27th of April 1915. They faced heavy gunfire immediately and had to climb steep and rough terrain immediately. After landing, the battalion’s main job was to push inland and capture higher ground while they defended the trenches that they had dug. For most of the campaign Cores battalion lived in narrow trenches and faced constant sniper fire. They dealt with heat, flies, lack of food and diseases.
Later during the war he was transferred from the 10th Battalion to the 3rd Field Company Engineers on the 14th of August 1915; his regimental number changed from 1732 to 450 around this time. As a part of the Engineers he worked as a sapper, which means that he helped build and repair structures during the war like trenches and bridges that were used by soldiers during war.
Core became very ill on September 4th 1915, he was admitted to hospital due to a stomach illness. Because of his condition he was evacuated from Gallipoli to Malta for treatment on 10th of September 1915. After recovering from his stomach bug, Core returned to duty and continued serving with the engineers. During his service he was promoted to Lance Corporal, which meant that he was in charge of a small group of men.
After they withdraw from Gallipoli, the 10th Battalion returned to Egypt and in March 1916 sailed to France and the Western Front. From then until 1918 the battalion took part in bitter trench warfare. The battalion’s first major action took place in France and was at Pozieres in the Somme Valley in July.
Near the end of the war Core took on leave to Paris on the 25th of November 1918 and after he returned to England, was sent to hospital in Harefield on the 22nd of December 1918. By the 3rd of January 1919 he had started to prepare to return home to Australia. Core returned to Australia on the 9th of March 1919 after he had served several years. For his service during the war he was awarded three medals. He was awarded with the 1914-15 star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
After returning from the war, William Core eventually passed away. In 1957, his family contacted the Imperial War Graves Commission to request that a permanent memorial was to be created in his honour.