BROWN, William George
| Service Number: | 835 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 February 1916, Leongatha, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 39th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Talbot, Victoria, Australia, 24 May 1878 |
| Home Town: | Allambee, Baw Baw, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, 8 August 1965, aged 87 years |
| Cemetery: |
Campbell's Creek Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Hallston and District WW1 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 835, 39th Infantry Battalion, Leongatha, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 835, 39th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 27 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 835, 39th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
William George Brown Regimental Number 835, was born 24th May 1878 to Peter Brown and Kate Farrell. Peter was born in Stockholm, Skane Sweden, and immigrated to Australia from Devon, England during the gold rush. He arrived in Australia aboard the Lady Kennaway on 9/12/1854 aged 25. 2 years later he married Kate on 8th Nov 1856, in a combined Church of England/Roman Catholic wedding. The family lived at Chewton near Castlemaine, before moving to Fryserston where William was born the youngest of 9 children. Peter died of heart disease in 1891; William was aged 13.
Jan 1897 William aged 18 was working for the West Australian Railways, initially as a cleaner, working his way up to being a fireman and then a driver. He resigned from the Railways on 21 June 1912 and relocated to Allambee, living/farming with his brother William on Lot 32B (off Geary’s Road, near the Grandridge Road) comprising 158 acres. He also worked as a contractor, scrub cutting. Sept 1913 he tended for scrub cutting on Lot 14A of the Allambee Estate, along with the Sagasser brothers. His tender which was not successful.
On the 8th January 1916 William aged 37 enlisted in the 39th Battalion C Company. He was 5’10”, blue eyes with fair hair. The unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 27 May 1916. He was posted to the 10th Infantry Brigade 19th February 1918 and returned to Australia in March 1919. Following WWI he returned to live in the Hallston District for a few years (WWI Military File Record Dated 1923). 4th June 1927 at the age of 48, William married Olive May Reeves in St James, Church of England, Darnum. At the time of his marriage William was living in Elphingston near Castlemaine and working as a Store Keeper, but later became a Publican. In 1930 a son Walter George Brown was born at Malmsbury. The family remained living in the Castlemaine District. George died there in 1965.
Courtesy of Avenel Jane
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