LANE, William James
| Service Number: | 6930 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Peterborough, England, 23 August 1899 |
| Home Town: | Kyogle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Thurning, Huntingdonshire, England |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Influenza and pneumonia, Illness (Pneumonia), United Kingdom, 5th Australian General Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 October 1918, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
St. John the Evangelist Churchyard, Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England Sutton Veny (St John) Churchyard, Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Coburg Pine Ridge Cemetery, Coburg, Victoria, Australia, Springvale Necropolis, Springvale, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 6930, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 6930, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Sydney | |
| 9 Oct 1918: | Involvement Private, 6930, 49th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6930 awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-10-09 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adrian Clack
He was born on 23rd August 1899 in Peterborough, England in the county of Cambridgeshire and grew up in Thurning, Huntingdonshire. In 1912, he emigrated to Australia with his parents, William and Sarah Lane, and his older sister, Hilda. They emigrated to Australia in 1912 and were on the water on the night of 15th April when the Titanic sent out its mayday distress signal, but their ship was too far away to provide assistance.
They moved to Kyogle on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, where his parents established a small dairy farm, where he worked.
When World War 1 broke out, he wanted to fight for England, but was too young. Finally, when he reached eighteen, he joined the Australian 49th Battalion (Australian Imperial Force) on 21st May 1917 and was transported to England on HMAT Hororata.
He underwent training around Salisbury Plain, England, but contracted Spanish Influenza and died on 9th October 1918 at Sutton Veny Military Hospital without ever getting the chance to fight.
On 12th October he was buried at St John The Evangelist Cemetery. His war record indicates: “He was buried with full military honours, the coffin [of polished Elm] being draped with the Australian flag and conveyed to the graveside on a gun-carriage which was preceded by Firing Party and band of the Australian Overseas Training Brigade. Six Australians from the 49th Battalion acted as pallbearers and a number of comrades and personal friends of the deceased’s attended as mourners. A beautiful wreath from the Australians in Sutton Veny Hospital was placed on the grave. Four officers and about a hundred N.C.Os and men from the Overseas Training Brigade attended the funeral. Headquarters A.I.F Depots in U.K. was represented.” (Australian War Record)
He was known to his family as Willie.
He died in the country of his birth – but far from home!
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