BROWN, William
| Service Number: | 2126 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 May 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, November 1891 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Pultney Street Public School |
| Occupation: | Pastry cook |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 24 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2126, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2126, 27th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Sep 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2126, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Adelaide | |
| 1 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2126, 27th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 5 Nov 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2126, 27th Infantry Battalion, 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2126 awm_unit: 27 Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1916-11-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Joe Mensforth
William Brown was born in November 1981 in Adelaide South Australia. Before he was enlisted in the military he worked as a pastry cook in Adelaide. He was a member of the Church of England and he attended school at Pulteney Street School. He seemed to have a close relationship with his parents since there was many letters from his dad asking about how the war was and if they had any idea about when they would come home. Willam Brown enlisted in the 27th infantry battalion on the 24th of May 1915. Before the war he was in perfect condition with with no sign of any disease or deficiency and he had good eyesight good height. He was described by medical examiners with dark brown hair, grey/blue eyes, 5 feet and 8 1/2 inches and 231 lbs.
William served on Gallipoli in the later stages of the campaign but was taken ill and left the peninsula. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in France in May 1916 and slightly wounded at Mouquet Farm in August. He went missing on 5 November 1916 with conflicting reports of what happened to him. One witness said he saw him taken prisoner by the Germans, but this testimony was discounted by a Court of Enquiry which eventually found he had been killed in action on the 5th. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
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