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ZILM, Richard William
| Service Number: | 1688 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sedan, South Australia, December 1896 |
| Home Town: | Echunga, Mount Barker, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm Hand |
| Died: | Circumstances of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Echunga War Memorial, Mount Barker Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 1688, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 1688, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 1688, 43rd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Glenunga International High School
Richard William Zilm was born in December of 1896 in the town of Sedan South Australia. At the time Zilm signed up for the military he lived with his mother and was unmarried working as a farm hand. He signed up on April 3rd, 1916, at the age of just 19. He was not very tall at only 5,2 and only weighed 52 kg. He was placed in the 43rd Infantry Battalion 1st reinforcement at the rank of Private with the regimental number 1688. He embarked from Adelaide South Australia on the HMAT A19 Afric on the 9th June 1916.
Richard William Zilm’s unit was deployed on the western front and only met conflict a few times. The 43rd Infantry Battalion won two minor battles and besides that their time on the western front was mostly calm. His unit was gassed on May 1916 but Zilm sustained only minor injuries, he Stayed on the western front until his unit was withdrawn back to Australia in September 1918.
There are not many records of what happened to Zilm after his return but he returned from the war physically fit and sustained no major injuries. He finished with the rank of Sgt and had received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
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