S6621
MATTHEWS, William Robert
| Service Number: | 3014 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 September 1916, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St Peters, South Australia, August 1897 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3014, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3014, 50th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 6 Nov 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3014, 50th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 8 Jan 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3014, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Biography
William Robert Matthews: 3014
Life Before War
William Robert Matthews was born in St Peters, South Australia in the year of 1897. William lived in Norwood, South Australia and before enlisting into the AIF, William worked as a farm labourer and served for 4 years as a senior cadet. William had a sister Selina Jane Matthews and a brother who also served for his country, Arthur Frederick Matthews (/explore/people/118896), who was killed in action in France.
Life in Service
William enrolled into the AIF on the 26th of September in 1916 at the age of 19 in Adelaide, South Australia and became a soldier in the 50th Infantry Battalion. He left on the 6th of October in 1916 on the ‘HMAT A19 Afric’, and arrived in Plymouth, England on the 9th of January in 1917. Then he left England to fight for his country in Belgium, soon after he arrived in Belgium to fight in he was wounded in action on the 19th of October in that year and then returned to his unit on the 26th of November. Then he was sadly wounded again in France to the right thigh and was then shipped over to England to receive treatment in hospital on his shrapnel wound.
William was a very dedicated man who served his country with respect and honour and he never left his battalion, but unfortunately, he had no choice when he had to leave because his injury to the right thigh was to serious and could no longer be in the battle and serve for his country. He returned to Australia on the 22nd of September in 1919 and was discharged on 08 January 1920, which is when his life as an Australian Military soldier ended.
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