THORSBY, William Samuel
| Service Number: | 6946 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia, 1872 |
| Home Town: | Tamworth, Tamworth Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Tamworth, New South Wales |
| Occupation: | Cook & Baker |
| Died: | Cerebro Spinal Fever, Isolation Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England , 24 February 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Stratford-Sub-Castle (St. Lawrence) Churchyard, Wiltshire, England |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Tamworth ANZAC Park Memorial Gates, Tamworth Public School WW1 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Jul 1917: | Involvement Private, 6946, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1917: | Embarked Private, 6946, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Sydney |
Help us honour William Samuel Thorsby's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in UK & Ireland”
William Samuel Thorsby was born at Murrurundi, New South Wales in 1872 to parents William Samuel and Elizabeth Thorsby (nee Wright).
He married Charlotte Newman in the district of Tamworth, NSW in 1902.
William & Charlotte Newman had the following children (their births were registered in the district of Tamworth, NSW): Florence A. Thorsby (born 1902; died 1903); Melba Elizabeth Patricia Thorsby (born 1904); Edna Nellie Thorsby (born 1905); William Samuel Thorsby (born 1907); Doris E. Thorsby (born 1909); Olive Maude “Ol” Thorsby (born 1910) & Mary R. Thorsby (born 1913; died 1914).
On 9th May, 1917 William Samuel Thorsby enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force as a 44 year old, married, Cook & Baker from West Tamworth, NSW.
Private William Samuel Thorsby, Service number 6946, embarked from Sydney, NSW on HMAT Port Melbourne (A16) on 16th July, 1917 with the 20th Infantry Battalion, 20th Reinforcements & disembarked at Liverpool, England on 16th September, 1917.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
He was marched in to 5th Training Battalion at Rollestone, Wiltshire, England from Australia on 16th September, 1917.
On 18th January, 1918 Private Thorsby was sent sick to Salisbury Isolation Hospital & admitted to Salisbury Isolation Hospital on 21st January, 1918 with Cerebro Spinal Fever.
Private William Samuel Thorsby died at 2.30 pm on 24th February, 1918 at Isolation Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England from Cerebro Spinal Meningitis.
He was buried on 27th February, 1918 in St Lawrence’s Churchyard, Stratford-sub-Castle, Wiltshire, England – Plot number 133 and now has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/stratford-sub-castle.html
Click images to start slideshow.