TURNER, Harold
| Service Number: | 2897 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 October 1916, Brisbane, Qld. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, 14 July 1892 |
| Home Town: | Redcliffe, Moreton Bay, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Head wound, Belgium, 16 October 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Nine Elms British Cemetery Plot IV, Row C, Grave 7 Headstone - "THOUGH LOST TO SIGHT TO MEMORY DEAR BELOVED BY ALL" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Brisbane 42nd Infantry Battalion AIF Roll of Honour, Redcliffe Humpybong Roll of Honor, Woody Point Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2897, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Brisbane, Qld. | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 2897, 42nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 2897, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney | |
| 16 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Gunshot wound to head, died of wounds |
Narrative
TURNER William Harold #2897 42nd Battalion
William Turner’s attestation papers state that he was born in Ipswich and lived in Redcliffe. He stated that he was 24 years old, single and employed as a labourer, however his father William Turner Snr when completeing the Roll of Honour Circular stated that he was a baker and carter. He gave his address as “Esplanade House” Redcliffe.
William enlisted in Brisbane on 17th October 1916, at the height of the First Conscription Plebiscite debate. He reported for duty to Enoggera Training Camp and was drafted into the 11th Depot Battalion to commence training on 1st November and one month later was drafted as a reinforcement for the 42nd Battalion which was in France.
On 22nd December 1916, with only very rudimentary training, William boarded the “Demosthenes” in Sydney; arriving in Plymouth on 3rd March 1917. On disembarkation he was hospitalised with mumps before joining the 11th Training Battalion at Codford. While in training he was again hospitalised, this time with influenza.
On 3rd July William crossed the Channel to France and five days later was taken on strength of the 42nd. The Battalion was rotating in and out of the line throughout the late summer and Autumn as the British commander pursued a series of engagements along the line from Ypres in Belgian Flanders west along the Menin Road towards the village of Passchendaele. The advance had begun well at Messines but heavy rain compounded the already flooded battlefields into a sea of mud.
The 42nd Battalion War Diary for the month of October records that conditions were so bad at the front that 64 men had been sent to hospital with trench foot (caused by immersion in mud and water for days at a time), shell shock or sheer exhaustion.
A depleted battalion assembled for an attack on the Broodesinde Ridge and the village of Zonnebeke on 14th October. The attack was a success with some 100 prisoners taken and 9 machine guns captured although the battalion suffered casualties of 15 killed and 93 wounded. During the action William Turner sustained a head wound. He was transferred back to a casualty clearing station near the village of Poperinghe where he died two days later. He was buried in the Nine Elms British Cemetery adjacent to the CCS.
Submitted 2 September 2022 by Ian Lang
Biography contributed by Daryl Jones
Son of William and Sarah Ann TURNER, of Esplanade, Redcliffe, via Brisbane, Queensland.
William Harold was 25 years and a labourer in Redcliffe at the time of his enlistment in October 1916. His parents, William and Sarah Turner lived at The Esplanade, Redcliffe. William died of his wounds in October 1917.
Biography contributed by Ian Lang
TURNER William Harold #2897 42nd Battalion
William Turner’s attestation papers state that he was born in Ipswich but lived in Redcliffe. He stated that he was 24 years old, single and employed as a labourer, however his father William Turner Snr when completeing the Roll of Honour Circular stated that he was a baker and carter. He gave his address as “Esplanade House” Redcliffe.
William enlisted in Brisbane on 17th October 1916, at the height of the First Conscription Plebiscite debate. He reported for duty to Enoggera Training Camp and was drafted into the 11th Depot Battalion to commence training on 1st November and one month later was drafted as a reinforcement for the 42nd Battalion which was in France.
On 22nd December 1916, with only very rudimentary training, William boarded the “Demosthenes” in Sydney; arriving in Plymouth on 3rd March 1917. On disembarkation he was hospitalised with mumps before joining the 11th Training Battalion at Codford. While in training he was again hospitalised, this time with influenza.
On 3rd July William crossed the Channel to France and five days later was taken on strength of the 42nd. The Battalion was rotating in and out of the line throughout the late summer and Autumn as the British commander pursued a series of engagements along the line from Ypres in Belgian Flanders west along the Menin Road towards the village of Passchendaele. The advance had begun well at Messines but heavy rain compounded the already flooded battlefields into a sea of mud.
The 42nd Battalion War Diary for the month of October records that conditions were so bad at the front that 64 men had been sent to hospital with trench foot (caused by immersion in mud and water for days at a time), shell shock or sheer exhaustion.
A depleted battalion assembled for an attack on the Broodesinde Ridge and the village of Zonnebeke on 14th October. The attack was a success with some 100 prisoners taken and 9 machine guns captured although the battalion suffered casualties of 15 killed and 93 wounded. During the action William Turner sustained a head wound. He was transferred back to a casualty clearing station near the village of Poperinghe where he died two days later. He was buried in the Nine Elms British Cemetery adjacent to the CCS.