RICE, William Henry
| Service Number: | 5183 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 October 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mount Perry, Queensland, Australia, 7 February 1883 |
| Home Town: | Mount Perry, North Burnett, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Mount Perry State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Killed in action, Messines, Belgium, 7 June 1917, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Miara, Waterloo & Yandaran Roll of Honor, Mount Perry Shire of Perry Roll of Honor, Mount Perry War Memorial, Waterloo Memorial Cairn Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5183, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 5183, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of Victoria embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 31 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 5183, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of Victoria, Sydney | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 5183, 49th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5183 awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-06-07 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Henry Rice was one of four sons of John and Maria Rice of Mount Perry, Queensland who enlisted during WW1. The father died in 1899, leaving a widowed Maria to raise seven children. She lost three sons to the war, receiving the news of all their deaths during 1917.
William Rice enlisted in late 1915 with his brother William. They both joined the 9th Battalion and were issued consecutive regimental numbers. Both transferred to the 49th Battalion only a fortnight before the unit was sent in to the front line to make the last Australian attack on Mouquet Farm. John was reported as missing after the battle but William survived.
Another brother, 2389 Pte. Frederick James Rice 12th Battalion AIF was killed in action on the 15 February 1917. William died during the Battle of Messines, seen to be killed by a piece of shell shrapnel. His body could not be found after the war.
A fourth brother, George Rice, applied to be sent home in 1918 on the basis that his three brothers had been killed and he was now the sole support of his widowed mother.
In the local newspapers the four brothers were said to have relinquished good positions to enlist.