MERRIEL, William
| Service Numbers: | 1376, 1376A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Fifield, New South Wales, Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Fifield, Lachlan, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 2 July 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery Plot XI, Row F, Grave No. 4. FROM HIS LOVING MOTHER E.J. MERRIEL GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1376, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1376, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Bee embarkation_ship_number: A48 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1376, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Bee, Sydney | |
| 19 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 Jul 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 1376A, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1376A awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1918-07-02 |
Help us honour William Merriel's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William was the son of James Alfred and Emily Jane Merriel, of Mascot, New South Wales, but had been born at raised in the small town of Fifield, in central New South Wales.1918,
His older brother, 358 Pte. Alfred Alexander Merriel 18th Battalion AIF was killed in action in Belgium on 20 September 1917, aged 26.
William served on Gallipoli from 30 April 1915 until he was wounded in the hip during the August battles. He was evacuated to Egypt and thence to England with a severe gunshot wound to the right thigh. He didn’t rejoin the 13th Battalion in France until October 1916.
William was killed in action during July 1918, after having survived over three years of front-line action. His mother corresponded with the AIF many times during his service, on one occasion requesting her two sons be sent home for a six-month spell. She was greatly saddened by their deaths.