Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William (Bill) was the son of Thomas May Hosking and Sarah Elizabeth Hosking, born 1st June 1894, in Ardrossan. The family moved from Ardrossan to North Adelaide in 1896, where Bill attended North Adelaide School and St Cyprian’s Church School, North Adelaide. The family also attended North Adelaide Baptist Church. Six years later, Thomas suffered a stroke, at the age of 58, and soon was admitted to the Home for Incurables (later the Julia Farr Centre) when his care became too difficult for Sarah.

On leaving school, Bill’s first employment was as a law clerk with Hackett & Hunt Solicitors, where he worked until signing up on 5th March 1915, at Keswick. At this time his mother, listed as his next of kin, and those siblings still at home lived at 24 Opey Avenue, Unley (now Hyde Park). His older brother Herb had served in the Boer War, with the 5th South Australian Imperial Bushmen, and two other brothers enlisted in 1915, so despite having previously been rejected for service with the Citizen Forces on the grounds of being “too small” – he was only 5’4½” - he had a determination to be involved.

Bill was assigned a Private, Service Number 5970, to “B” Company, Infantry Base Depot, and then transferred to the 4th Light Horse Brigade Train. He left Australia for Egypt on the HMAT ‘Afric’. (On February 1917 the HMAT ‘Afric’ was torpedoed and sunk in the English channel by a German submarine. It was hit on the starboard side near the engine-room causing an explosion. The engineers and greasers on watch at the time were killed. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2076729).

Then on the 20th October 1915, he embarked from Alexandria for Gallipoli on the ‘Minneapolis’, a British ocean-liner requisitioned by the British Government as a troop ship. (It was torpedoed on 23rd March 1916 en route from Marseilles to Alexandria, all but 12 crew were rescued.) While in Gallipoli, he spent several short periods in hospital, one for rheumatism. Bill returned to Alexandria on the HMT ‘Ausonia’, a Troopship in the Mediterranean. (On the 30th May 1918, en route from Montreal to Avonmouth, UK with general cargo, it was torpedoed and sunk, with 44 persons lost.)

Bill’s unit was at Moascar, Egypt during March 1916. Moascar was the site of a training area and major base in North Egypt. It has been recorded that training here was hard, long hours in drills and manoeuvres. Until the harsh conditions led to changes, the men wore full kits and heavy backpacks, and many became ill with heat stroke as they trained on the desert sand. A few even died of pneumonia. In April, the Service Record shows Bill re-joining his Unit at Bleringham, but does not give further details. Bleringham is in France, but appears to no longer have that name. The diary of Roy Pinto Bell, a transcript of which is available from the on-line resources of the State Library of NSW, describes going from Moascar on board a sister ship to “Minneapolis” and seeing that ship torpedoed. He arrived at Marseilles and details the journey on to Bleringham.

In February 1917, Bill was admitted via the 7th Field Hospital to a Casualty Clearing Station with a bad case of mumps. (Casualty Clearing Stations were small mobile hospitals near vital transport hubs like railway junctions.) It would seem that Bill’s health was not especially robust; he was "taken on strength" to 20th Company in March.

The 20th Company, Army Service Corps (A.S.C.), formed in July 1915, served as the headquarters company for the 2nd Division Train, and was a crucial for the transport of supplies and personnel to the front lines.

He was transferred to 2nd Division Train Headquarters in July, and then 4th Division Train Headquarters as batman to Major Leslie Sando. (Trains were logistic support and supply units under Command of the Division.) He was assigned a new Service Number, 8889, on Sept 1st 1917 when transferred from the 4th Light Horse Brigade Train to 20th Company again. In January 1919, he detached to Base Depot and arrived in England for return to Australia. He embarked on the SS ‘Cluny Castle’ on the 23rd of March 1919, returning via Cape Town and Devonport, Tasmania, and disembarked at Semaphore on May 21st 1919. He was discharged on July 20th, 1919.

William Hosking was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.

Bill then worked with his brother Arthur at Dudfield Pty Ltd, who were importers based in Sydney with an office in Gawler Place, Adelaide. In the Sydney Telephone Directory of 1929, this company is listed as Importers and Agents, and also as Button Merchants! Bill’s occupation in the Electoral Roll of 1924 is given as Salesman, and in 1928 as Draper.

He then considered going on the land with his brother Reg on the West Coast, but decided on employment as Assistant Secretary of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society, where he remained until his retirement in 1966. He married Evelyn Richmond on January 14th, 1930, and their only child Kathleen Valerie was born July 30th, 1933. Bill was a member of the Prospect RSL, and for many years marched on Anzac Day with his brothers Reg and Alick. Despite maintaining this connection with his war service, he was not known to share any stories from this time. His daughter Kathleen cannot recall him ever referring to his experiences, which she has assumed was because it had painful memories for him.

He was a very keen gardener, producing an abundance of vegetables and flowers at their home in Stuart Road, Prospect. 

Bill’s final years were spent at the War Veterans Home in Myrtle Bank. He became ill and passed away ion July 7th 1975. He and Evelyn are buried in the Church of England Cemetery, Main North Road, Nailsworth.