ASHCROFT, William Alfred
| Service Number: | Q114771 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 June 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Dalby, Queensland Australia, 29 July 1913 |
| Home Town: | Inneston, Mackay, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Cane Cutter |
| Died: | Jandowae, Dalby, Queensland, Australia, 2 July 1977, aged 63 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Toowoomba Garden of Remembrance | Cemetery & Crematorium |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 20 Jun 1941: | Involvement Gunner, Q114771 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 1941: | Enlisted | |
| 20 Jun 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, Q114771 | |
| 3 Jun 1942: | Discharged |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Gunner William Alfred Ashcroft (Service No:Q114771) served in the ACMF from 20 June 1941 to 3 June 1942. He was attached to 41 Battery 11 Field Regiment RAA (M) when he was Discharged (Reserved Occupation/Essential Industry). Older brothers David and Christopher had served in WWI.
Born at Jandowae, Dalby QLD in 1913, Bill was the youngest of twelve children of Christopher Ashcroft (b1857 in Liverpool, England) and Mary Ellen Wilson (b1869 in Lucknow, Victoria. Christopher was an Able Seaman when he Deserted the Derbyshire in Victoria in 1879. Making his way to the Bairnsdale region, Christopher was a Selector in 1886 when he eloped with Grazier's daughter Mary Ellen Wilson (b1869 in Lucknow, Victoria) to Melbourne where they were married. Mary's parents issued a warrant for Christopher's arrest for abduction, and he was taken into custody during his honeymoon in Warnambool - the charges were dropped. Christopher and Mary settled in Orbust, Victoria where Christopher was a Farmer. The family was on a camping holiday at Cape Couran in 1900 when their tent caught fire and three of their eight children were killed. The following year Christopher and Mary relocated their surviving children to Moola on the Darling Downs in QLD, where Christopher was a Farmer. They later moved to Jandowae, Dalby where Christopher was a Farmer on Ringing Plains. The couple retired to Toowoomba in 1927.
Bill started working as a Labourer in Jandowae Dalby, then at Silent Grove in Mirani QLD. He was a Cane Cutter at Inneston via Sarina, QLD in 1941 when he enlisted in the ACMF. Following his Discharge, Bill returned to work as a Cane Cutter before moving to Boulia, QLD where he was a Dingo Trapper. Bill retired to Jandowae, Dalby QLD and died in 1977.