BOASLEY, William Edmund
| Service Number: | 21189 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 January 1916, 3 years Light Horse Brisbane |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 7th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 25 March 1876 |
| Home Town: | Enoggera, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Courier |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 5 June 1950, aged 74 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: | Enoggera Shire Council Roll of Honour WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 21189, 9th Field Artillery Brigade , 3 years Light Horse Brisbane | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 21189, 9th Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: '' | |
| 11 May 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 21189, 9th Field Artillery Brigade , HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney | |
| 13 Jul 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Gunner, 21189, 7th Field Artillery Brigade, 1st MD, Medical Discharge |
Help us honour William Edmund Boasley's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Gunner William Edmund Boasley (Service No. 21189), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
William Edmund Boasley was born on 25 March 1876 at South Brisbane, Queensland, the son of Thomas Boasley and Elizabeth Ann Boasley (née Rossiter). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Brisbane on 19 January 1916, aged 38 years. At the time of enlistment, he gave his occupation as a currier, a skilled worker in the leather-processing trade, and nominated his mother as his next of kin. He embarked for overseas service from Sydney on 11 May 1916 aboard HMAT A8 Argyllshire as a Gunner with the 36th Battery, Australian Field Artillery, part of the 9th Field Artillery Brigade.
Shortly after disembarking in England on 24 May 1916, Boasley was admitted to hospital sick and discharged on 30 May, but was re-admitted briefly in early July 1916. In late November 1916, he was again hospitalised at Larkhill and then at Fargo Military Hospital, Wiltshire, suffering from bronchitis, remaining there between 25 November and 1 December 1916 before rejoining his unit later that month. During 1917 and early 1918, he experienced ongoing health problems, particularly myalgia, which resulted in multiple admissions and transfers between field ambulances and hospitals in England and France.
As his condition failed to improve, Boasley was returned to Australia on medical grounds and embarked from England on 15 April 1918 aboard HT A74 Marathon. He disembarked in Australia on 12 May 1918 and was formally discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 13 July 1918. Following his return to civilian life, he lived in Brisbane and continued working in the leather trade, being recorded as a leather dresser.
Gunner William Edmund Boasley died on 5 June 1950, aged 74, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He was a single man who never married and had no known children.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
Click images to start slideshow.