SUTTON, William Henry
| Service Number: | 1559 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 January 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Yarram, Victoria, Australia, 1887 |
| Home Town: | Yarram, Wellington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Devon North State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Timber worker |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 11 August 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Beacon Cemetery, Sailly-Laurette Plot I, Row J, Grave No. 6. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS YEARS MAY COME AND GO |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Yarram WW1 War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1559, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1559, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1559, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane | |
| 11 Aug 1918: | Involvement Private, 1559, 49th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1559 awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-08-11 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Henry Sutton was the son of Thomas and Marie Louisa Sutton, of Tarra Valley, South Gippsland, Victoria.
He and his younger brother had gone to Queensland for work. They enlisted in Brisbane and both joined the 15th Battalion. During February 1915 David and William sailed together from Brisbane for Egypt, and from there arrived on Gallipoli on 8 May 1915.
On the night of 28/29 May 1915, Turkish forces attacked and occupied an area of the Australian trenches at Quinn’s Post. David and William both took part in an attack to regain the position by the 15th Battalion. The charge took place at around 3.15 am on 29 May, and although the Australian assault was successful, but there were heavy casualties, many from bombs and grenades used by the Turks.
1552 Pte. David George Sutton 15th Battalion AIF was much later on confirmed as he killed in action on 29 May 1915, at age 19. He was at first reported as wounded but William wrote to his parents and confirmed that he had suffered mortal bomb wounds during the action and died soon after.
William was taken off Gallipoli to Malta during July 1915, with a sprained back and sickness. He wrote to his family at this time. He was evacuated to England for a while and arrived back in Egypt during January 1916. He was transferred to the 47th Battalion during the reorganisation of the AIF in early 1916.
He survived the fighting at Pozieres and was wounded in action in Belgium during September 1917. He was again evacuated to England, with gunshot wounds to his face and chest.
During this period William married in England on 22 December 1917, to Florence Emily Dobson.
He was sent back to France during May 1918, and was court martialed for willfully self-inflicting a wound, (cellulitis to back of left forearm) and was found guilty, and sentenced to two years in hard labour. The sentence was suspended less than a month later.
He was taken on strength of the 49th Battalion on 8 June 1918, given that his old unit, the 47th Battalion, had ceased to exist due to disbandment. He was killed in action on 11 August 1918, reportedly near Chipilly Spur, three days after the start of the huge Allied attack on 8 August 1918. His death was witnessed by his mates, shot through the body by a machine gun bullet, and he was buried in a marked grave on the field.
His wife, Dorothy gave birth to a son just before the death of William, and mother and child came out to Australia in late 1920, living at Tarra Valley, in Gippsland, with her new in-laws.
William had another brother who enlisted, 2025 Pte. Thomas James Sutton 22nd Battalion AIF, who landed on Gallipoli but was soon after evacuated dangerously ill with pneumonia and enteric. He was returned to Australia 9 February 1916.