HARTLEY, William
| Service Number: | 2386 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 July 1915, Enlisted at Liverpool. |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Burrow-in-Furess, Lancashire, Engand, October 1882 |
| Home Town: | Hurstville, Kogarah, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Painter |
| Died: | Accidental, France, 6 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Albert Communal Extension Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Municipality of Hurstville Pictorial Honour Roll No 1 |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2386, 17th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Liverpool. | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2386, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2386, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Sydney | |
| 6 Nov 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2386, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2386 awm_unit: 17th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-11-06 |
English.
The UK 1911 census shows William lived at 3 Gilmour Street, Middleton, Manchester.
He died when he fell from a moving train at a railway crossing on the outskirts of Albert, Somme.
He is remembered on the Middleton War Memorial.
Submitted 25 May 2022 by Andrew Fitton
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William Hartley (Service Number 2386) was born at Burrow-in-Furness, Lancashire about October 1882. gave his occupation as ‘painter’ upon his enlistment at Liverpool on 23rd July 1915. He had been apprenticed in his trade for seven years and gave his father as his next of kin. he was allotted to the 17th Australian Infantry Battalion he left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Thermistocles’ on 5th October 1915. After staging through Egypt he embarked at Alexandria on ‘Canberra’ to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. He passed through Marseilles on 23rd March 1916.
In August he was wounded slightly, but remained with his unit. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in Belgium soon after this.
He was accidentally killed by being runover by a railway train from which he fell while journeying to re-join his unit from a Signalling Course on 6th November 1916. Apparently, a number of men were riding in vans with open doors, and above the loads of wagons when at a particularly rough spot Hartley was thrown out, and went under the wheels.
Lance Corporal W Andrews, 2nd Garrison Battalion, stated:
‘On Monday the 6/11/16 about 12 noon I was on duty at Marmont Bridge, when I saw the body of a soldier fall from the wheels of the pack train moving along the railway from ALBERT STATION.
The train could not be stopped and the body of the man must have been dragged along about a hundred and fifty yards, and when found was terribly cut to pieces.
From documents found on the body, the man was found to be an Australian named No. 2386 Pte Hartley, William, 5th Reinforcements 17th Brigade. I reported the matter to the Town Majors Office and was referred to the man’s unit.
I went to H.Q. Australians, Bellevue Farm, and informed Captain Ramsay of the accident, and to see what could be done regarding removal of the body.
I also reported the matter to the Chaplain at 30 Rue de Bapaume and he took me to the Adjutant of the R.A.M.C. and they could not do anything on the matter. Captain Ramsay (Australians) took me to the Australian Tynals (sic) and endeavoured to trace the man’s unit.
After waiting three hours, nothing could be found, regarding the man’s unit. I returned to my post and as no one turned up to claim the body, I temporarily buried the corpse by the side of the Railway at 3 p.m. the next day’.
I would not have done this, only the rats were beginning to gnaw at the remains.’
Eventually proper arrangements we made, and Hartley was buried at Albert Communal Cemetery Extension, Picardie France.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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