JENNINGS, William Cornelius
| Service Number: | 263 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Tipperary, Ireland, 1878 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Clerk |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Belgium, 24 September 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial |
| Memorials: | Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 263, 1st Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 263, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Sydney | |
| 14 Feb 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Regimental Sergeant Major, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Promoted in Egypt. | |
| 14 Feb 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Promoted in Egypt. | |
| 26 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 53rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 24 Sep 1917: | Involvement Lieutenant, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-09-24 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
William Cornelius JENNINGS was born in 1878, in Tipperary, Ireland.
He was granted leave to join the AIF on 2nd September 1914 and was 36 when he enlisted.
He embarked at Sydney on 18th October 1914 on HMAT A19 ‘Afric’.
On 20th October 1914, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Forces on Gallipoli on 5th April 1915. The 1st Battalion to which he belonged was part of the initial landings on Gallipoli.
After only four days at Gallipoli he received a gunshot wound to the knee and was admitted to hospital in Alexandria (Egypt) on 1st May. About two weeks later, on 15th May, he embarked for England, where he was admitted for his wounds. He re-joined his Battalion at Gallipoli on 20th November.
It appears that he was promoted to Sergeant on 22nd April 1915., although the entry in his file was not made until 28 February 1916.
By that time, he was back in Egypt, serving with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. After being transferred to the 53rd Battalion in Tel-el-Kebir on 13th February 1916, he was promoted to Regimental Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer class 1) the following day. On 19th June 1916, he embarked to join the British Expeditionary Force. He disembarked at Marseilles (France) on 28th June. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in France on 26th August 1916.
After spending about two weeks on leave in England during late September and early October, he was detached for duty with the 14th Training Battalion on 18th December 1916. He remained there until 26th December, when he was promoted to Lieutenant. He marched into England from France on 27th December. He went back to France from England on 25th August 1917. He re-joined his battalion after several months on duty with the 14th Training Battalion. On 3rd September 1917, he resumed his Regimental duties.
On 24th September 1917, he was killed in action in the field. He was buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium.
His wife, Nora Marjorie, received the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal on behalf of his service, as well as a pension of 70/- per fortnight.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.