Virtual
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Australia

William Johnathan Wright was born on the 13th of March 1877. His hometown was in Parkside, Unley, Adelaide, South Australia. He was a labourer and had a wife (Edith Caroline Wright) and a child.

At the age of 39, Wright enlisted on the 1st of January 1916. He had brown hair and blue eyes and was 5’7 ½. After that, he was embarked to the 32nd Infantry Battalion at Semaphore as a Private on the 25th of March. He was wounded but unfortunately, we don’t know where, but he was in hospital. 3 years later, he was discharged on the 4th of August 1919.  

Wright lived for 30 more years until he passed away on December 4th 1946 at the age of 69 by natural causes. 

William was the son of Robert James WRIGHT & Mary WRIGHT and was born on the 13th of March 1876 in Chesser Street, Adelaide, SA.

His parents were married on the 21st of March 1869 in the Holy Trinity Church, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of Henry WRIGHT & Ann MEE and was born on the 19th of May 1831 in Monks Eleigh, Langham, Suffolk, England.
His mother was the daughter of John WRIGHT & Mary PAMMENT and was born on the 23rd of July 1842 in Adelaide, SA.

William was the fifth child born into this family of 11 children.

His father was previously married to Susan CRACK on the 10th of November 1850 in Thingoe, Suffolk, England.
They had a son; Henry Walter, born in 1850 in Suffolk, England before they immigrated to South Australia on the 14th of September 1851 on board the Reliance.
Henry then died in Morphett Vale on the 5th of January 1852 and then Mary Ann was born on the 2nd of July 1853. Susan died 7 years later on the 20th of February 1860.

His father then married Catherine BROADFOOT on the 25th of January 1861 in Adelaide.
Catherine was the daughter of John & Agnes BROADFOOT and was born in 1843 in Paisley, Renfewshire, Scotland.
They then had 2 children; Margaret Gould, on the 4th of November 1861 and then Henry William, on the 23rd of May 1864.
Henry died the following year on the 28th of December 1865 and then Catherine died on the 13th of May 1867.

His father was a Mason and the family lived in Chesser Street, Adelaide

When William was 7 years old the family moved to Hurtle Vale, near Reynella.
William was 14 years old when his father died on the 14th of May 1890 at their home in Reynella and they buried him in the Morphett Vale Bains Cemetery.

On leaving school William gained employment as a labourer and joined the 16th Light Horse Regiment at Reynella, before leaving the district and moving to Adelaide.

William married Edith Caroline WRIGHT on the 9th of March 1914 in the Methodist Church, Pirie Street, Adelaide, SA.
Edith was the daughter of Henry WRIGHT & Caroline POTTER and was born on the 22nd of August 1883 in Burton, SA.

They made their first home at 124 Glen Ormond Road, Parkside and welcomed their first child; Lucy Glena on the 17th of May 1915.

On the 7th of September 1915 William’s nephew; William Robert WHITE enlisted into the 32nd Battalion, 4th Reinforcements on the 7th of September 1915 (2441) and posted to Morphettville Camp.

At the age of 39, William enlisted into the AIF on the 29th of December 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 2757 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion.
He was then transferred to the 1st Depot Battalion at Morphettville Camp and then posted to the 32nd Battalion, 5th Reinforcements.

His nephew, William WHITE embarked from Adelaide on board RMS Mongolia on the 9th of March 1916.

William embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Shropshire on the 25th of March 1916 and disembarked in Port Suez on the 24th of April and marched into the 8th Training Battalion in Zeitoun.

On the 24th of May he was taken on strength with the 32nd Battalion and joined his nephew, who was in training at Ferry Post.
Reveille sounded at 2:30am on the 28th of May and they marched out to Moascar Camp for Brigade Training.

Then on the 6th of June William embarked from Alexandria on board HMT Franconia for further training in England and disembarked in Plymouth 10 days later.
His nephew, however, remained in Egypt with the 32nd Battalion and embarked for France on the 17th of June.

William served with his nephew in the 32nd Battalion until his nephew was invalided back to Australia on the 26th of September 1917 suffering from Tuberculosis.

William served in France for 3 years and was wounded before embarking for home on the 8th of May 1919.
William disembarked in Adelaide on the 20th of June and was discharged from the AIF on the 4th of August 1919.

Whilst he was overseas 2 of his brothers enlisted;
George enlisted into the 10th Battalion on the 16th of November 1916 (7576) and Oscar enlisted into the 48th Battalion on the 3rd of January 1917 (3732) and then served with the 43rd Battalion.

William also had another nephew who enlisted and served;
Edward PERRY enlisted into the 10th Battalion on the 16th of June 1916 (6312), but sadly was Killed in Action on the 20th of September 1917 in Belgium.

He returned to Edith and his little daughter and then on the on the 25th of February 1920 William’s brother; Oscar married Edith’s sister Thurza in the Methodist Church, Enfield.

William and Edith then welcomed little Rosa Mary on the 24th of September 1920.

They moved to 80 Gloucester Street, Prospect and little Lucy attended the Nailsworth Public School.

Sadly Rosa died at their home on the 3rd of August 1933 and they buried her in the Dudley Park Cemetery the following day.

With the outbreak of WW2 their daughter Lucy enlisted into the AWAS on the 5th of May 1942 (SF64895) and served with the Ordnance Depots.

William died on the 6th of December 1946 at their home and Edith buried him the following day in the Dudley Park Cemetery; Section TOP, Path 6, Plot 0154, with their daughter.

WRIGHT.—The friends of the late William Jonathan Wright, late of 80 Gloucester Street, Prospect, are respectfully informed that his remains were privately interred in the Dudley Park Cemetery on Saturday, December 7.
P. Le CORNU, Undertaker,

Edith died on the 13th of October 1947 at her home.

Military

At the age of 39, William enlisted into the AIF on the 29th of December 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 2757 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion.
He listed his wife, of 124 Glen Osmond Road, Parkside, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of January he was transferred to the 1st Depot Battalion at Morphettville Camp and then posted to the 32nd Battalion, 5th Reinforcements.

William embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Shropshire on the 25th of March 1916 and disembarked in Port Suez on the 24th of April and marched into the 8th Training Battalion in Zeitoun.

On the 24th of May he was taken on strength with the 32nd Battalion, who was in training at Ferry Post.
Reveille sounded at 2:30am on the 28th of May and they marched out to Moascar Camp for Brigade Training.

Then on the 6th of June William embarked from Alexandria on board HMT Franconia for further training in England and disembarked in Plymouth 10 days later.
After a further 3 months training William proceeded to France on the 5th of September and marched into the 5th ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Etaples.

William rejoined the 32nd Battalion on the 24th of September, who was in billets at Armentieres.

The 32nd Battalion had fought their first major battle at Fromelles on the 19th of July 1916, having only entered the front-line trenches 3 days previously.
The attack was a disastrous introduction to battle for this Battalion – they suffered 718 casualties, almost 75 per cent of the battalion's total strength, but closer to 90 per cent of its actual fighting strength.

By the 17th of October they had moved to Baillieul and then entrained to Longpre and marched 8 miles to Gorenflos.
Three days later they were busses to Buire and marched to Mametz Wood and then onto Montauban for further training.
Nine days later William attended a Lewis Gun Training School for 10 days and then rejoined his Battalion at St Vast in training.
On the 18th of November they were bussed from Vignacourt to Ribemont and by the 21st they had moved to Trones Wood, where they relieved to 2nd Battalion Irish Guards in the front line trenches.

They were relieved by the 29th Battalion on the 1st of December and during their relief William suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his face and neck and was admitted into the 36th Casualty Clearing Station at Heilly.

Three days later he was admitted into the 3rd Stationary Hospital in Rouen and then evacuated to England on the 6th of December on board HS St George and admitted into a Voluntary Aid Hospital in Exeter.

He was then transferred to the 2nd Southern General Hospital in Bristol where he spent Christmas 1916 before being discharged to 2 weeks furlough on the 6th of March 1917.
He then reported to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs on the 31st of March and medically classified B1A (fit for light duties for 4 weeks) and then posted to Park House and transferred to the 70th Battalion in Wareham.

On the 24th of June William attended a School of Instruction for Lewis Gunners in Tidworth for 6 days and returned to the 70th Battalion at Windmill Hill.
After another 3 months of training he was posted to the draft for the 32nd Battalion on the 19th of September.
Four weeks later he was posted to the 6th Training Battalion at Longbridge Deverill and then proceeded to France on the 24th of October and marched into the 5th ADBD in Le Havre.

William rejoined his Battalion on the 1st of November at Halifax Camp at Ouderdom in training.
Five days later they moved to Abeele and continued specialised training before they moved to Locre and then to Neuve Eglise into camp.
On the 14th of November they moved to the Messines sector as a support Battalion and the following day they moved into the front line.

They were finally relieved on the 9th of December and marched back to Wulverghem as a reserve Battalion.
Six days later they entrained near Remmel at 2:30pm for Desvres and arrived at 1:30am on the 16th of December.
Upon their arrival there was a train accident at Desvres Station and 65 men were injured.
William was one of the men injured, suffering from a contusion on his left hip and a partial dislocation of his left hip.
A later investigation concluded that the train was under the control of the French and no blame was to be placed on the soldiers.

William was admitted into the 13th General Hospital in Boulogne and after spending Christmas 1917 here he was evacuated to England on the 28th of December on board HS St Patrick and admitted into the Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmonds.
He spent the next 3 months here before he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 26th of March 1918.

Then on the 3rd of April he was discharged to No.3 Command Depot in Hurdcott and he was then posted to the Overseas Training Battalion in Longbridge Deverill, on the 8th of June.
William proceeded back to France on the 3rd of July and marched into the 5th ADBD in Le Havre.
He then rejoined his Battalion on the 9th of July in the reserve area as Bridgehead Defence on the Ancre.
Here they served as working parties at night to the Engineers and Tunnellers and then on the 17th of July they marched into reserve at Ribemont, where on the 29th, they took part in a divisional operation on the Bray-Corbie Road.

Three days later they moved to Bois-de-Mai Camp, near Allonville, for 3 days before moving to Pioneer Switch Trench, in the Aubigny Line.
Their next move was into the front line trenches at Proyart, as part of the Battle of Amiens, and it was here on the 27th of August that William was slightly wounded, but remained on duty.

September was spent in the Somme at Mont St Quentin, Bernes, Doignt and Hesbecourt and attacked at Bellicourt on the 29th.
They were relieved on the 1st of October and moved to Joncourt, near Roisel, before entraining from Peronne to Transloy.
Here on the 12th of October the 32nd Battalion amalgamated with the 29th Battalion, but they retained their name as the 32nd Battalion.

The following day they moved to Ramburelles and went into specialised training.
They were still here when the Armistice was signed and the guns fell silent on the 11th of November 1918.
On the 26th of November they marched to Behen and then onto Pont Remy. Here they entrained to Berty, near Le Cateau, and then marched to Busigny.
In December they moved to Rue-de-Bois and then to Sars-Poteries, where William spent his last Christmas away from his family and friends.
All of January and February 1919 was spent here in training, sports events and education and slowly the men of the 32nd Battalion began to march out for return to Australia.

Finally, it was Williams turn and on the 5th of March, as part of Quota 14, he received a special pay and marched out for Le Havre.
He embarked for England on the 14th of March and marched into No.1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny the following day, awaiting his embarkation home.

William embarked for Australia on the 8th of May 1919 on board HT Devanha and disembarked in Adelaide on the 20th of June.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 4th of August 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.