KNIGHT, William Alfred
| Service Number: | 2461 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 52nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 27 April 1888 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Cerebro Spinal Fever, Isolation Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England , 22 February 1917, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Stratford-Sub-Castle (St. Lawrence) Churchyard, Wiltshire, England Plot 121 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Brisbane City Hall Honour Roll, Brisbane Tramway Employees Light Street Depot Honour Board, Mackay Cenotaph |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 2461, 52nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 2461, 52nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane |
Help us honour William Alfred Knight'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 England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Died on this date – 22nd February … William Alfred Knight was born on 27th April, 1888 at Mackay, Queensland to parents Frederick Alfred & Martha Knight (nee Taylor).
His mother – Florence Ann Knight died on 17th December, 1911 in the Mackay region, Queensland.
William Alfred Knight married Gladys Evans on 8th December, 1913 in Queensland.
A son – George William Knight was born on 17th October, 1913 to parents William Alfred & Gladys Knight (nee Evans). A son – Alfred John Knight was born on 3rd December, 1915 to parents William Alfred & Gladys Knight (nee Evans)
On 1st May, 1916 William Alfred Knight enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) as a 28 year old, married (with 2 children), Tram Conductor from Ross Street, Newstead, Brisbane, Queensland.
Private William Alfred Knight, Service number 2461, embarked from Brisbane, Queensland on HMAT Seang Choon (A49) on 19th September, 1916 with the 52nd Infantry Battalion, 5th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 9th December, 1916.
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 sent sick to Compound Hospital on 22nd December, 1916 from 13th Training Battalion. Private Knight was admitted to Parkhouse Hospital, Wiltshire on 24th December, 1916 with Mumps & was discharged on 6th January, 1917.
On 15th January, 1917 Private Knight was admitted to Group Clearing Hospital, Codford, Wiltshire with Bronchitis. He was discharged on 16th January, 1917 to No. 3 New Zealand Hospital at Codford. The Hospital Admissions form reads: “Admitted No. 3 NZ Hospital this morning (16:1:17) in an unconscious condition. No history was obtained from Australian authorities…..retention of urine which was relieved. Several spots on abdomen…?cerebro spinal meningitis.”
He was transferred & admitted to Salisbury Isolation Hospital, Wiltshire on 17th January, 1917 with suspected Cerebro Spinal Meningitis. The Hospital Admissions form recorded “Very ill on admission, wandering delirious….”
Private William Alfred Knight died on 22nd February, 1917 at Isolation Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England from Cerebro Spinal Fever.
He was buried in St Lawrence’s Churchyard, Stratford-sub-Castle, Wiltshire, England where 25 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.
(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.