OAKLEY, William Walter
| Service Number: | 963 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 37th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Briagolong, Victoria, Australia, 29 September 1885 |
| Home Town: | Paynesville, East Gippsland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fisherman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Villers-Bretonneux, France, 18 June 1918, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
Adelaide Cemetery Villers-Bretonneux Plot I, Row A, Grave No. 6 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Paynesville & District Honour Roll, Paynesville Pictorial Roll of Honor, Paynesville War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 963, 37th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 963, 37th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 963, 37th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Persic, Melbourne | |
| 8 Jun 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 963, 37th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines, GSW to back | |
| 1 Aug 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 37th Infantry Battalion | |
| 12 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 963, 37th Infantry Battalion, 1st Passchendaele, GSW left hand | |
| 18 Jun 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 963, 37th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 963 awm_unit: 37th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-06-18 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From François Berthout, Australia and NZ in WWI
Today, it is under the benevolent sun of the Somme that I wish, with my heart, to pay a very respectful tribute to the Lance Corporal number 963 William Walter Oakley who fought in the 37th Australian Infantry Battalion and who was killed in action 102 years ago, on June 18, 1918 at the age of 33.
William Walter Oakley was born on September 29, 1885 in Briagolong, Victoria, and he was the son of James and Hannah Letitia Oakley. Before the war William worked as a fisherman and lived in Paynesville, Victoria.
Enlisted on February 21, 1916 in the 37th Australian infantry battalion, C Company, he embarked with his unit from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A34 Persic on June 3, 1916 for England and was disembarked on July 25, 1916 in Plymouth, England, where he received his training then he embarked with his battallion from Southampton for France on November 22, 1916 and was disembarked the next day before joining the battlefields of the Somme.
on June 9, 1917, William was wounded for the first time by a shrapnel in the back and was evacuated to Rouen then Rouelles and Harfleur to be treated for his injury then he rejoined his unit in the north of France where he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on August 1, 1917 before being wounded a second time on August 5, 1917 and was evacuated to England at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire. On December 28, 1917, William embarked again from Southampton for France and was disembarked on December 30, 1917 in Rouelles, France. Three months after returning to the Somme, William suffered from dysentry and was evacuated to Etaples on March 13, 1918 then he returned to the Somme front on May 14, 1918.
Unfortunately, a month later,on june 18,1918 William was killed in action in Villers-Bretonneux at the age of 33.
Today, William Walter Oakley rests in peace with his comrades at the Adelaide Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux, Somme.
Thank you William, you who fought with the greatest courage on these battlefields of the Somme that the war, in its destructive fury broke, in these landscapes shattered by the avalanches of shells and the rains of bullets, in that endless hurricane of iron and steel that blew so much blood and shattered so many lives, through the crackling of machine guns spitting hellfire, sounds of hell in which you lived with your comrades , facing fear and death that took so many lives too soon. However, through this darkness of war, you brought hope, light, you brought hope into all heart, in the heart of your family, your friends, your comrades but also in the heart of the French for whom you fought with so much bravery.Today the Somme is peaceful, so peaceful, we no longer hear the cannons, we only hear the sound of the wind and the silence that caresses the flowers on your grave and the poppies, symbols of your memory and the memory of all your comrades who fell here remind us every day that if we live in this peaceful world today, it is thanks to you Sir and thanks to all these courageous men who fought and who gave their lives here, who gave their today for our tomorrow and for who I am and would always be there to honor you, to honor each of you with the greatest respect, with love and devotion. I will never forget any of you.At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him, we will remember them.🌺
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