Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From In Memory Of 

In Memory Of Private Josiah Willey.

He was my Great Uncle on my mother’s side. Josiah was born in Stawell in 1877 and educated in Ballarat. He was a miner before working as a linesman for the Commonwealth Post and Telegraph Department. He lived in Cobden Street, West Ballarat.

Private Josiah Willey was killed in the Battle of Fromelles on the 19th of July, 1916. It is the most tragic 24 hours in Australia’s history with over 5,500 Australians becoming casualties. Almost 2,000 of them were killed in action or died of wounds and some 400 were captured.

Josiah was posted missing, 19th of July 1916, and has no known grave. Aged 38, he left behind a wife and four children.

Statement, Red Cross File No 2950410, 3238 Sergeant E.A.O. BAKER, C Company, 59th Bn (patient, Woodcote Park Hospital, England), 12 October 1916: ‘Willey was hanging, badly wounded, on barbed wire in a creek at Armentieres, up to his waist in water. Informant was being carried down wounded and saw this. He got out of his stretcher so as to enable the bearers to go to Willey’s assistance… Informant does not know what happened after that.

Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 29th of August 1917, pronounced his fate as ‘Killed in Action, 19th of July 1916’.

His wife (Mrs Mary Elizabeth Willey) had to wait a year to know officially what happened to her husband. There is a letter she wrote to the Army dated 7th May 1917, saying the suspense was unbearable in not having definite information about her husband… She wrote more letters trying to find out what happened to her husband.

Mrs Willey received a letter from SGT E.A.Ormond Baker concerning her husband and it highlights the awfulness of that time…Dated Feb 20, 1917…to Mrs Willey.

Dear Madam
I received yours of 22nd Dec. Which is to hand today re your husband. I cannot tell you more than I told the Red Cross People. Our charge of the 19th July was an awful affair & many of our best men were killed & missing amongst them being your husband. I returned to the Battalion this week when I at once looked for the men who were helping the bearers, there are only a few of the old men left & from what I can hear from one of them your husband was beyond all aid, when they reached him, but of course I cannot say that officially really & regret that I cannot give you any good news.

I lost many a good friend that day, when our numbers were totalled next day there were only 80 odd left out of over 1026 men so it will give you an idea of how many were lost in that one brief period. Really Mrs Willey it pains me to convey this news to you but regret cannot hold out any hope for you & ask you to accept my deepest sympathy in your very sad loss as your husband was one of the men under me in my platoon of 59th Battalion.
Sincerely yours
E.A.Ormond Baker
Sgt AIF

Lest We Forget.