MURPHY, William Arthur
| Service Number: | 5133 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 September 1915, Enlisted at Warwick Farm. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, 16 November 1894 |
| Home Town: | Lismore, Lismore Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 13 August 1916, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5133, 13th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Warwick Farm. | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5133, 13th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Warwick Farm. | |
| 31 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 5133, 13th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of Victoria embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 31 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 5133, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of Victoria, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
William Arthur MURPHY (Service Number 5133) was born on 16th November 1894 at Lismore. He worked for the NSW Railways as a temporary junior porter in the Traffic Branch in Sydney from 24 October 1912. He was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 8th September 1915. Murphy had enlisted at Warwick Farm the day before, describing himself as a railway porter and giving his father, then still living in Lismore, as his next of kin. He also claimed three years in the CMF with the 21st Infantry and 12 months with the 12th Infantry at Lismore.
He was allotted to the 16th Reinforcements to the 13th Battalion. Murphy embarked ‘Star of Victoria’ on 31st March 1916. After a brief time in Egypt he re-embarked HMT ‘Ionian’ at Alexandria for passage through Marseilles to France and the Western Front. There in July he was disciplined for disobedience of orders – wearing packs without supporting straps sling over shoulder. For this offence he was punished with three days’ close confinement.
On 27th July he was at last taken on the strength of the 13th Australian Infantry Battalion. On 11th August he was reported wounded with shrapnel to his left groin and he died of those wounds two days later at the 2/1st South Midland Casualty Clearing Station, Warloy, France. He was buried in the Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension, Picardie.
The Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau Files include little information about the place or circumstances of Murphy’s mortal wounding, but the covering letter to the Clearing Station, seeking information about a number of men, highlights an abiding concern about the pain they may have experienced:
‘Will you be kind enough to tell us whether they suffered much pain and were conscious of it. The relatives are always anxious if possible to have a description of their graves.’
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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