MCKELLAR, William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn
| Service Number: | 4581 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 29th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia, 16 March 1872 |
| Home Town: | Meereek, West Wimmera, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Bronchitis, Military Hospital, Fovant, Wiltshire, England, 16 April 1917, aged 45 years |
| Cemetery: |
Baverstock (St. Edith) Churchyard INSCRIPTION HE LEFT HIS HOME, HIS ALL TO SERVE AT HIS COUNTRY'S CALL PERFECT PEACE |
| Memorials: | Apsley War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kowree Shire Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 4581, 29th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 4581, 29th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Medic, Melbourne |
Pte William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn McKellar
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK
Died on this date - 16th April........Private William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn McKellar was born at St. Kilda, Victoria in 1872. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 4th September, 1916 as a 44 year old, single, Farmer from Meereek, Apsley, Victoria.
Private McKellar arrived in England on 18th January, 1917 for further training before being sent to the War Front. He was posted to “D” Company, 8th Training Battalion, Hurdcott, Wiltshire.
Private McKellar was admitted sick to Fovant Military Hospital on 13th March, 1917.
Private William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn McKellar died at 9.30 p.m. on 16th April, 1917 at Military Hospital, Fovant, Wiltshire from Bronchitis. From the hospital report – “Patient had a history of long standing bronchial trouble. When admitted he was suffering from an acute attack….” He was buried in the churchyard of St. Edith’s at Baverstock, Wiltshire where 28 other WW1 Australian Soldiers are buried.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/baverstock.html
Submitted 16 April 2020 by Evan Evans
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He was 44 and the son of the late Peter and Barbara Meiklejohn McKellar.
Biography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn McKellar was born on 16th March, 1872 at St. Kilda, Victoria to parents Peter & Barbara Mcbeath McKellar (nee Meiklejohn).
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 4th September, 1916 as a 44 year old, single, Farmer from Meereek, Apsley, Victoria.
Private William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn McKellar, Service number 4581, embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Medic (A7) on 16th December, 1916 with the 8th Infantry Brigade, 29th Infantry Battalion, 12th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 18th January, 1917.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
On 13th March, 1917 Private McKellar was admitted sick to Fovant Hospital from “D” Company, 8th Training Battalion, Hurdcott, Wiltshire.
Private William Charles Gordon Meiklejohn McKellar died at 9.30 p.m. on 16th April, 1917 at Military Hospital, Fovant, Wiltshire from Bronchitis. From the hospital report – “Patient had a history of long standing bronchial trouble. When admitted he was suffering from an acute attack….”
He was buried in St. Edith’s Churchyard, Baverstock, Wiltshire, England where 28 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/baverstock.html
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