WILLIS, William Keith
| Service Number: | 2695 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 June 1915, Liverpool, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Randwick, NSW, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Randwick, Randwick, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Grammar School |
| Occupation: | Journalist |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, Merris, France, 21 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Ebblinghem Military Cemetery II A 20, Ebblinghem Military Cemetery, Ebblinghem, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Sydney Grammar School WW1 Honour Board, Sydney Morning Herald and Sydney Mail Record of War Service |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2695, 4th Infantry Battalion, Liverpool, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2695, 4th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 2695, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney |
Help us honour William Keith Willis's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Youngest son of Thomas Francis Willis and Amy Florence Willis, of "Amaroo," Albion St., Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales.
William Keith Willis, who died of wounds in France on April 21. He was the younger son of Mr. Tom Willis, of the sporting staffs of the 'Mail' and 'Herald,' and was educated at the Sydney Grammar School. He was a fine athlete, excelling in football, boxing, and swimming, and was awarded the Royal Humane Society's medal for life saving at Bronte. A splendid type of a Young Australian, he was 24 years of age, stood 6ft 3in high, and weighed 14 stone. Sergt. Major Willis enlisted as a private, and sailed with reinforcements for the Fourth Battalion in June, 1915. He took part in the Anzac campaign, served in Egypt, and then went on to France, where he participated in many of the big battles. He became known as an expert bomber, and during last winter his services were made use of for instructional purposes, and he was promoted to the rank of sergt-major. In the last letter received by his parents (who live at Waverley) he mentioned that he was returning to the firing-line. He was married to an English lady only last year, and in the picture his wife is seen with him.
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