Richard William ZILM

Richard William ZILM Update Details

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ZILM, Richard William

Service Numbers:	1688, S80458
Enlisted:	23 April 1942, Mount Barker, SA
Last Rank:	Sergeant
Last Unit:	43rd Infantry Battalion
Born:	Sedan, SA, 8 October 1896
Home Town:	Mount Barker, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Farm Hand
Died:	22 July 1985, aged 88 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered
Cemetery:	Mount Barker St. Francis De Sales Catholic Cemetery SECTION C, ROW 12, PLOT 1
Memorials:	Echunga War Memorial, Mount Barker Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Roll of Honor

World War 1 Service

9 Jun 1916:	Embarked Private, 1688, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide
9 Jun 1916:	Involvement Private, 1688, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''
11 Nov 1918:	Involvement Sergeant, 1688, 43rd Infantry Battalion

World War 2 Service

23 Apr 1942:	Involvement Sergeant, S80458
23 Apr 1942:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, S80458
23 Apr 1942:	Enlisted Mount Barker, SA
25 Sep 1945:	Discharged

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Biography contributed by Glenunga International High School

Richard William Zilm was born in December of 1896 in the town of Sedan South Australia. At the time Zilm signed up for the military he lived with his mother and was unmarried working as a farm hand. He signed up on April 3rd, 1916, at the age of just 19. He was not very tall at only 5,2 and only weighed 52 kg. He was placed in the 43rd Infantry Battalion 1st reinforcement at the rank of Private with the regimental number 1688. He embarked from Adelaide South Australia on the HMAT A19 Afric on the 9th June 1916.

Richard William Zilm’s unit was deployed on the western front and only met conflict a few times. The 43rd Infantry Battalion won two minor battles and besides that their time on the western front was mostly calm. His unit was gassed on May 1916 but Zilm sustained only minor injuries, he Stayed on the western front until his unit was withdrawn back to Australia in September 1918.

There are not many records of what happened to Zilm after his return but he returned from the war physically fit and sustained no major injuries. He finished with the rank of Sgt and had received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

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