BROWN, William Henry
| Service Number: | 6364 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 May 1916, Roma, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Roma, Queensland, Australia , 16 March 1898 |
| Home Town: | Roma, Maranoa, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 January 1917, aged 18 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 31 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6364, 9th Infantry Battalion, Roma, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6364, 9th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Clan McGillivray embarkation_ship_number: A46 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Sep 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6364, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Clan McGillivray, Brisbane |
Help us honour William Henry Brown's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"...6364 Private William Henry Brown, 9th Battalion, of Mitchell, Qld. A labourer prior to enlistment, Pte Brown embarked with the 20th Reinforcements from Brisbane on HMAT Clan McGillivray on 7th September 1916. On 5th January 1917 he was killed in action at Flers and is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Henry Brown was the youngest of three brothers from Queensland who were all killed during 1917.
His older brother, 1725 Pte. George Brown 49th Battalion AIF, was killed in at action at Messines in Belgium on 7 June 1917, aged 21.
Another older brother, 394 Pte. John Brown 7th Machine Gun Company AIF was killed by a enemy aircraft on 28 December 1917, aged 27.
William was killed while on a working party near Bazentin on 5 January 1917, just four days after joining the battalion. He is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France. He was only 18 years of age.
The 9th Battalion war diary for this day says there were “8 casualties in one of our working parties of semi-trained reinforcements.”
William was the son of Mary Elizabeth Brown (nee Rawlings) who had passed away during 1907. His father had been deceased for many years. He gave his next of kin as his aunt, Sarah Ann Hunter, of Roma Queensland, who was his mother’s sister, and referred to herself as his ‘foster mother”.
Mrs. Hunter was sent William’s personal effects, and was awarded a small pension. Base records tried to track down a brother, Walter Brown to send his plaque and medals but he could not be tracked down and the awards were marked as ‘untraceable’.
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