ROSS, William
| Service Number: | 6319 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Golspie, Scotaland, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Malvern, Stonnington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Ship Steward |
| Died: | Victoria, Australia, 29 August 1939, cause of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Warringal Cemetery, Victoria Presbyterian A, Grave 04 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6319, 6th Field Ambulance | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 6319, 6th Field Ambulance, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 6319, 6th Field Ambulance, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 6319, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 6319, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Fremantle |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
William Ross was born in 1883 in Golspie, Scotland and later emigrated to Australia. It is likely that the rest of his family stayed in Scotland as we know from records that his sister, Mrs Tomson, stayed in that country. William enrolled in the Australian Army on the 20th of June 1915. He was almost 29 years old. Before he enrolled in the Army, he was a ship steward. A ship stewards’ job is to prepare the task of dinner arrangements.
When William joined the Army, he was assigned to Infantry Brigade 6, Field Ambulance 6, Reinforcement 6. He had resigned from the Royal Marines Scotland Performance after 2 years 32 days. We know from his medical records that William was 177 centimetres tall and weighed 67 kilograms. He had dark brown hair and eyes.
William was part of the 6th Field Ambulance, the Field Ambulance Company of the 6th Brigade which was constructed from the 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th battalions. These battalions were all recruited from Victoria. Williams was deployed to Gallipoli with the rest of the division. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board ocean steamship HMAT A71 Nestor on 11 October 1915. Ambulance drivers were rare in the war because not many people had their driver’s licence at that time. Their job required that they drive around picking up wounded soldiers to bring back to be treated. Ambulance drivers were trained to administer first aid sufficient to clear airways, staunch bleeding and sometimes splint fractures so that casualties could be evacuated to the Battalion RAP (Regimental Aid Post). Casualties were mostly carried by hand by four men as the ground would have been too rocky for any vehicles. When there was a large group of casualties in one area, an RMO (Regimental Medical Officer) would be involved and would assess the injuries and determine who received treatment priority.
William was admitted to hospital with inflammed connective tissue for a few days in April 1916 but other than this he suffered from no other physical injuries.
He returned to Australia on board the troopship HMAT 'Warwickshire' on the 5th of April 1919, where he was later discharged from duty on the 20th of July 1919. When he got home, he received the following service medals: the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. William passed away on the 29th of August 1939 at the age of 56. His death was related to the war but it is uncertain what caused it. He was buried at Warringah Cemetery, Heidelberg, Victoria.