Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Lashbrook Tucker was born on 27 December 1891 near Woodside, South Australia, the youngest of two children of William Tucker and Esther Osborn. His grandparents, Richard Tucker and Ann Lashbrook, are thought to have arrived in South Australia around 1852 with their children. His grandfather and his father were both miners and established the family home on Tredinick Farm. William’s parents married in Adelaide on 25 April 1889 and made their home on the farm.

After the death of William Snr. on 13 April 1894, Esther Tucker relocated to Unley with her children. William attended the South Australian School of Mines and Industries and by 1916 worked in the South Australian Railways Laboratories as an analytical chemist. He enlisted in the AIF on 13 January 1916 at the age of 24 as a member of the 5th Division Signals Company. After his initial training he embarked for overseas service aboard the troopship Itria on 14 August arriving in Plymouth on 30 October.

In England William underwent further training at the Engineer Training Depot at Hitchin in Hertfordshire finally reaching his unit in France on 28 April 1917.

   Division Signals Companies belonged to the Royal Australian Engineers during WW 1. Later, the Royal Australian Signals Corps was created.

   The Division Signals Company was tasked with providing communications from the Headquarters to those of subordinate formations. By far the most important means was the field telephone. This entailed the provision of thousands of handsets, hundreds of thousands of metres of two-strand wire cable and hundreds of switchboards.  Radio was in its infancy and only appeared late in the war at high level headquarters.

   The advantage of a line telephone network was it meant users could use voice rather than Morse code which was tedious and slow.  The disadvantages included the vulnerability of the network to disruption, and the less likely occurrence of it being 'tapped' and listened into by the enemy.

   To create the network, telephone line had to be laid all over the landscape.  Line was buried where possible but it would often be cut or broken by artillery fire. Then it would have to be surface laid to maintain communications. Laying line was one of the most hazardous jobs in the front line. The "Linies" had to move above ground carrying a reel of wire. They could often be the only moving thing on the battlefield and thus attracted fire - both small arms and even artillery fire. Hence the task was often performed at night, with the added risk of getting disorientated on the battlefield. The "linies" also had the unenviable task of locating and repairing breaks in the line.

_{5th Divisional Signal Company. https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/104}

On the same day that he arrived in his unit, Bill was transferred to the 10th Field Artillery Brigade. The artillery units also maintained a system of telephone lines connecting gun batteries with their forward observation posts. The Forward Observation Officer moved with the attacking infantry to select targets and call for ranging shots to make necessary corrections. After the disastrous failure of the attack on Bullecourt on 11 April, a second attack was being planned.

10th Field Artillery Brigade Diary, May 1917 

1st - Batteries in action in Bullecourt Sector sheet 57SW & 51B grouped as P Group Left Sector 1st Anzac Artillery. Front covered U28A to U23 Central.

2nd - Registration of special barrages for the attack by 1st Anzac Corps on the Hindenberg Line on 3rd inst. All arrangements successfully completed for the attack and support by P Group Artillery. Lt P.J. O’Reilly 10th Australian Field Artillery Brigade selected as F.O.O. with attacking battalion (24th) for the Group.

3rd - Battle commenced at 3.45 am zero hour. All 10th Brigade batteries engaged. Heavy retaliation by enemy artillery and machine gun fire from several strong points near Bullecourt & Reincourt and sunken road opposite line being attacked.

4.35 am - The first objective gained and held after brilliant fighting. Several strong counter attacks were beaten off during next 4 hours. At 8 am reported that 2nd objective was gained in several places and consolidated. 8pm. Heavy counter attack. Lt O’Reilly killed by shell while observing. Mentioned in dispatches for gallant work. 

6th - Casualties during last few days. 20 killed. Wounded 50.

8th - A map was taken from German prisoner printed on May 1st showing in detail our battery positions and camp. This accounts for the accurate counter battery work that has taken place during our stay. 

After only five days in the field, Bill Tucker was among the wounded evacuated from the battle on 3 May 1917. He received shrapnel wounds in both thighs as well as to his left hand and to his right arm. He was admitted to the Military Hospital at Bethnal Green for treatment before being transferred to 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Weymouth. Bill returned to Australia and was discharged in Adelaide on 8 November 1917.

After the war Bill purchased an Indian motorcycle [1] and he also travelled to the United States, living for a time at 600 North Pine Avenue, Chicago, [2] returning to Australia in 1924 when his sister Doris passed away. At that time his profession was that of a metallurgist.

The 1924 Electoral Roll shows Bill living at 31 Nicholson Street, Footscray, Victoria. Occupation: Metallurgist.

On 25 April 1928, Bill (37) married Rosa May Inverarity (46) in Blackwood, South Australia.

The 1928 and 1939 Electoral Rolls show Bill and Rosa living at 29 Hughes Street, Woodville.

News 7 March 1930

Scrap Steel

W. L. Tucker, Woodville:- ln view of unemployment in this state and consequent suffering involved one feels that any suggestion to help even in a small way should merit investigation. In the past few months. I have noticed various trainloads of scrap steel shipped from Port Adelaide. The mate-rial weighed several thousand tons. In previous years shipments have been sent to Japan. Probably this realised only a few shillings a ton, The carburisation of scrap steel in an electric furnace and subsequent conversion Into high grade grey iron castings is by no means a new process overseas. In America so great is the demand for the material in large industrial areas that there is small margin between its value and that of pig iron. A more common practice there, and one which is growing, is the melting of pig iron in electric furnaces for the manufacture of grey iron castings. The extra cost compared with the cupola process is apparently justified by the quality of metal obtained. The cost of current in Adelaide appears relatively favorable for either of these processes, given suitable conditions.

Bill and Rosa were divorced on 16 May 1947. Bill’s address was then Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide. [3]

Bill passed away on 9 July 1954 in Woodville, South Australia. [4]

[1] REGISTRATIONS (1918, March 9). The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63841950
[2] Advertising (1924, June 3). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), p. 1. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57394765
[3] SUPREME (1947, May 16). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), p. 15. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74646728
[4] South Australian Death Index Book/Page: 813/3781