BALDIE, William David
| Service Number: | 6772 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 March 1916, Enlisted in Melbourne |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Prince's Hill Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Thorpdale, Baw Baw, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Prince's Hill Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed In Action, France, 5 October 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Calvaire Cemetery, Montbrehain, France Row A, Grave No 22 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Thorpdale War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6772, 24th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted in Melbourne | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 10 Oct 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 6772, 24th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked Private, 6772, 24th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 2 Jul 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 5 Oct 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 24 Battalion awm_rank: Second Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1918-10-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
Baldie, William David. - Service Number 6772.
William Baldie was one of seven children born to James and Bridget Annie Baldie. He was born in Princess Hill in Melbourne in August 1892. The family moved to a property called ‘Bonfield’ in the Thorpdale area around the turn of the century. He married Frances O’Grady in 1913 and became a farmer in Boolarra Gippsland. His daughter Lily was born in 1914 and brother her brother ‘Billy’ was born in 1916.
He joined the AIF on the 4th March 1916. He had various appointments in Melbourne and eventually found himself at Duntroon Military College. He was eventually posted overseas and he embarked on the HMAT A11 Ascanius on the 11th May 1917 and found himself at the Officers Training School in Cambridge England. He finally was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on the 2nd July 1918 and he became part of the 19th Reinforcements to the 24th Battalion and joined “A” company in France on the 22nd July 1918. He was well liked by the men and his nickname was simply “Baldie”. On the 5th October 1918, he was killed at Montbrehain.
Corporal Frank Saffin recorded the circumstances of his death for the army record: - “During the attack on Montbrehain at about 6.15 a.m. on October 5th, the casualty occurred while we were advancing on the extreme left flank on the outskirts of the village, when a shell burst amongst several men of this section including Lieut. Baldie, a piece of shell hit him in the head and he was killed instantly. I was with the next section about 25 yards to the right and a little to the rear at the time. We had to continue on and I am positive that he was killed outright. I also saw his body about 2 hours later…”
Corporal Frank Saffin had previously been awarded the Military Medal in 1917. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal as well for his actions on this day. Sergeant Adolphsen from his section, later buried William, and five other soldiers that were with him about 100 yards from where he was killed. Privates Thorncross, Wheeler and Missen were known to be in this group. His original cross was fashioned from German ammunition boxes.
A death notice was placed in the Age on the 28th October 1918.
BALDIE. – Killed in action on the 5th October. Second Lieutenant William David (Billie), beloved son of James and Annie Baldie, Thorpdale, and brother of Nellie, James, Lily, Robert (on active service) and Ella Baldie.
His wife Frances eventually received 3 of the 4 consignments of William’s belongings that were sent to her. The 4th contained all of William’s personal papers including letters and his will. This parcel was never found. William’s young son, Billy, died in 1919. In a short space of time Frances had lost her husband and her son.
In 1926, an In Memoriam notice was placed by his mother in the Argus newspaper in Melbourne. It read: -
In loving memory of my dear son, Lieutenant William David Baldie, killed in action October 5, 1918.
Always remembered
2nd Lieutenant William Baldie lies in the Calvaire Cemetery, France, in plot A. 22.
No request for a headstone inscription was made.
He is also commemorated on the Childers Mechanics Institute Honour Roll in Thorpdale Gippsland and the Thorpdale War Memorial
William’s brother, Robert Thomas Baldie served with the 8th (and 12th) Light Horse and participated in the Battle of Beersheba and survived the war.
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