HARWOOD, William
| Service Number: | 4810 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 December 1915, Perth, WA |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Littleburn, County Durham, England, 1888 |
| Home Town: | Canning Vale, Canning, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Littleburn School Durham England |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 14 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Passchendaele, New British Cemetery XIV E 24, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4810, 11th Infantry Battalion, Perth, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4810, 11th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4810, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Fremantle | |
| 14 Oct 1917: | Involvement Corporal, 4810, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4810 awm_unit: 51 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-10-14 |
William Harwood
William was born in March 1888 at Littleburn, in the coal-mining area of county Durham England. He was one of five boys and two girls. Prior to emigrating to Australia William worked with his father and brothers as a miner at the Brancepeth Colliery.[1] In 1912, he and a younger brother migrated to Perth and purchased ten acres at Canning Vale. Aged 24, and described as a farm hand on the ship's manifesto when he arrived in Australia with his 21 year old brother Matthew. They had sailed from London on 30 Aug 1912 aboard the Orient Line's SS Orvieto. He worked as a sleeper cutter, but the call of mining was so strong that by the outbreak of World War 1 he had worked at Greenbushes, Bullfinch, Kalgoorlie and Sandstone.
Red Cross File held at the AWM includes: [1]
Killed in Action 14-10-1917
"He was near me at Passchendaele on above date, and I was told , his head was blown off. Sgt Beaumont of the 51st came over about 2 months ago to take his course at OTC, was with him at the time, and collected his papers etc. so I feel sure he can furnish full particulars." 28444 Cpl F Webber D Coy 51st Bn.
"I personally buried him where he was killed on the field, and marked his last resting place as best I possibly could and I gave his Mother and his next of kin the Map reference of his grave." Cadet CA Beaumont C Company No 6 OCS, Worcester College, Oxford.
"On 14 Oct 1917 at Passchendaele, Cpl Bill Haywood, of the 13th Platoon, was in an outpost in front of our front line. In the afternoon a German shell burst in this outpost, killing Cpl Haywood instantly. I was in the outpost and about 10 yards (9 metres) from him and saw his remains...."1980 Pte FJ McCallum
His younger brother 4810 Private Matthew Harwood was WIA and returned to Australia on medical grounds
https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/William_Harwood
Submitted 12 August 2023 by Karen Marr
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of John and Maria Harwood, 3 Plantain Row, New Brancepeth, County Durham
Resided Sleetburn Poultry Farm, Nicholson Road, Canning Vale, Western Australia
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