O'BRIEN, William Edward
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | 5th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Bathurst Boer War Memorial |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Captain, New South Wales Imperial Bushmen | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Major, 5th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse |
Help us honour William Edward O'Brien's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Major William Edward .O'Brien, D.S.O., who has been selected to proceed to South Africa as second in command or the Fifth Battalion of the Commonwealth Horse, belongs to the Bega District. He received his first commission in 1893, and in 1898 was made a first lieutenant. He went to South Africa with the Imperial Bushmen, being given the rank of captain, and after 15 months' fighting returned in July last year to Bega. He was present at 19 general engagements, in addition to the operations around Ottoshoop, Wildfontein, and Kaffir Kraal, in addition to many skirmishes. At Wildfontein he won his D.S.O. by capturing 19 guns from the Boers. The deed was performed at the head of 299 of the Bushmen, and the guns included the two guns taken by the enemy at Colenso, when Lord Roberts' only son was killed. Major O'Brien afterwards received his promotlon to majority rank.
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