STEWART, William
| Service Number: | 3767 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Glanville, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Annfield Public School, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Drowned, Found in River Clyde near Springfield Quay, Glasgow Harbour, Scotland , 1 October 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Glasgow (Sighthill) Cemetery, Scotland Plot I, Row J, Grave No. 69 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 11 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 3767, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked Private, 3767, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Died on this date - 1st October, 1918.......William Stewart was born at Glasgow, Scotland in 1890.
He came to Australia when he as 20 years old & enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 29th August, 1914 as a 23 year old, Labourer from Glanville, South Australia.
Private Stewart embarked from Adelaide, South Australia in October, 1914 headed for Egypt. He was hospitalised in April, 1915 with Chronic Rheumatism then sent to England for convalescing.
Two Medical Reports were completed on Private Stewart in August, 1915 & the recommendation was that he be discharged to Australia as unfit for Active Service. He was medically discharged in Australia on 16th June, 1916.
William Stewart re-enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 6th January, 1917 as a 26 year old Baker from Adelaide, South Australia.
He arrived in England in July, 1917 with Pioneer Battalion & sent to France in late December, 1917.
Pioneer Battalions were tasked with digging trenches, labouring, constructing strong points and light railways, and undertaking battlefield clearance, the troops assigned to the pioneers required construction and engineering experience in addition to basic soldiering skills.
Private Stewart was hospitalised in June, 1918 with Trench Fever & returned to England.
After being discharged from Hospital he was sent to No. 4 Command Depot at Hurdcott, Wiltshire for convalescing.
He was reported as being Absent without leave from Hurdcott on 20th September, 1918.
Private William Stewart’s body was found in River Clyde near Springfield Quay, Glasgow Harbour, Scotland on 2nd October, 1918. It was presumed he died due to drowning on 1st October, 1918.
He was buried in Sighthill Cemetery, Glasgow, Scotland. The Cemetery was closed for burials in 1954 & at that time the Commonwealth War Grave Commission headstones were removed from the actual graves as they could no longer be properly maintained and re-located in Eastwood Cemetery, Glasgow. The stones were grouped in a small Garden of Remembrance at Eastwood
Cemetery.
In 2017 the CWGC reversed their decision & were in the process of creating new headstones to be placed back at Sighthill Cemetery where the bodies had remained.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/sighthill.html
Click images to start slideshow.