WEARNE, William George
| Service Number: | 3655 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 July 1915, Senior Cadets, 2nd Battalion |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 60th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, December 1889 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Painter |
| Died: | tuberculosis and heart failure, Heatherton Sanitorium, Victoria, 12 September 1925 |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham (Pioneer) Cemetery, Victoria Methodist, Section 30, Grave 11 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3655, 24th Infantry Battalion, Senior Cadets, 2nd Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3655, 24th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3655, 24th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Melbourne | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, 3655, 24th Infantry Battalion, Wounded in action, France. Gunshot wound to left arm and hand. | |
| 4 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, 60th Infantry Battalion, Accidental injury while on frontline, outpost duty. | |
| 5 Dec 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3655, Medical discharge due to right knee injury - synovitis - sustained accidentally 4 April 1917. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Dan Jones
A forgotten veteran of the Great War resting at Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery.
Pte William George Wearne was born in 1890 in Bendigo, Victoria, to Thomas Wearne (1837-1895), a miner, and Rhoda Valance (1850-1905). The second youngest of ten children, he was working as a Painter living in Sunshine, Victoria when the war began. Enlisting on the 13 July 1915, a 25-year-old William sailed overseas with the 8th Reinforcements of the 24th Battalion AIF in January 1916, he was taken on strength of the 57th battalion in Tel-el-Kebir military camp, Egypt, before being transferred to the 60th Battalion
During training in Egypt, he was hospitalized for Influenza. He made a full recovery and was sent with the Battalion to France in June 1916. The following month, William was wounded in action, being shot in the arm, and was evacuated to England. After a brief recovery period, he was back in France with the 60th Battalion by December. On the 4 April 1917, William was leaving a trench when he tripped and fell back into the trench. He could not walk and it was found that he was suffering from an internal derangement of the knee. Hospitalized and sent back to England, he was declared medically unfit and sent back to Australia in June 1917. He was discharged in December of that year.
William George Wearne, died of tuberculosis and heart failure on the 12 September 1925 at Heatherton Sanitorium, Victoria, and is buried in an unmarked grave in Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery, Victoria (Methodist, Section 30, Grave 11). His occupation at his time of death was a painter. Medical records state that he was casually employed on the wharf. He was 35 years old. He was survived by five of his siblings. His death certificate states that he never married.
William’s brother Richard Wearne (1879-1918) also served during WWI. He served as a Private with the 55th Battalion AIF, and was Killed in Action in France.
I have submitted an application for a headstone. Lest we forget.
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