DUNNE, William Joseph
| Service Number: | 31342 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 36th Heavy Artillery Group |
| Born: | Yarraville, Victoria, Australia, 4 July 1896 |
| Home Town: | Queenscliff, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Augustine's Catholic School, Yarraville, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Professional Soldier, Royal Garrision Artillery |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 2 October 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Plot XXV, Row A, Grave No. 14A, Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kilcoy Honour Roll, Queenscliff Royal Australian Garrison Artillery Third Military District Honor Roll, Werribee Shire Great War Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Mar 1916: | Involvement The Royal Artillery (Garrison) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 31342, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 31342, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 31342, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , RMS Orontes, Sydney | |
| 1 Mar 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Gunner, Siege Artillery Brigade, England | |
| 1 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Gunner, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, France | |
| 1 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Gunner, 31342, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, Third Ypres, Severe SW to both legs. Died 2 October 1917 at 17th CCS Poperinghe, Belgium. | |
| 2 Oct 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 31342, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 31342 awm_unit: 36th Australian Heavy Artillery Group awm_rank: Gunner awm_died_date: 1917-10-02 |
Narrative
William Joseph DUNNE #31342 2nd Field Artillery / 36th heavy Artillery Group
The Kilcoy Roll of Honour lists a W.J. Dunne. A search of the AIF nominal roll shows only one such soldier with that surname and initials, or variations thereof. William Joseph Dunne was a Victorian artilleryman who would appear to have spent his entire life in and around Footscray. How his name comes to appear on the Kilcoy memorial is unclear, perhaps a distant relative supplied his name.
Submitted 4 March 2022 by Ian Lang
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
William Dunne was born at Yarraville, Victoria on 4 July 1896 to John and Ada Dunne. He had four brothers:
Thomas Joseph Dunne
John William Dunne
Rupert Arthur Dunne, and
Charles Hilder Dunne, who also enlisted and saw Active Service in France, and four sisters:
Jessie Mabel Dunne
Elsie May
Agnes Maud
Lilian Ada
Before joining up, William had done a five year Carpentry apprenticeship with Mitchell & Co of Footscray, and was a member of the Kingsville Band.
At the time of his enlistment, he and his brother were living at the RAGA Barracks at Queenscliffe, Victoria. The family home was at “Glenluce”, Williamstown Road, West Footscray, Victoria. In 1916, West Footscray and Kingsville were part of the Shire of Werribee.
At age 20, William enlisted in the A.I.F. on the 10 October 1916 at the RAGA Barracks in Queenscliff, Victoria. Both of his parents gave their written consent to his application.
He was then moved to Maribyrnong and joined the 23rd Reinforcements/2 F.A. Brigade (Field Artillery Brigade), 1st Division Artillery. The 23rd Reinforcements departed Melbourne per Orontes on 23 December 1916, and arrived at Plymouth, England on 17 February 1917. His first base was the No 3 Camp at Parkhouse, Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire.
William was taken on strength in the 338th Siege Battery at Stowlangtoft, Suffolk, England, on 1 March 1917 and remained with them until they were disbanded in July 1917. [The Battery had been formed in England on 20 December 1916 for the 36th Heavy Artillery Group. It was intended to equip this battery with 6 inch Howitzers, but was disbanded July 1917; personnel were sent to the 54th and 55th Siege Batteries, to enable them to increase from 4 howitzers apiece to 6.]
On 24 July 1917, William embarked from Southampton and arrived at Rouelles in France on the next day. Three days later he marched out to the 36th Heavy Artillery Group, pending absorption, and on the 19 August 1917 he was transferred to the 55th Siege Battery.
William received shrapnel wounds to both legs on 01 October 1917, 'In the Field', near Ypres, Belgium. He received treatment at 11th Australian Field Ambulance, who transferred him to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance on the following day. From there he went to the 17 C.C.S. [Casualty Clearing Station]. It was there that he died of his wounds, aged 21.
He was buried in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, 1¾ miles SW of Poperingle, Belgium
His brothers (No. 913, Private Charles Hilder Dunne and No. 11717, Driver Rupert Arthur Dunne) both returned to Australia after the war.
Medals & Entitlements:
British War Medal - received by family on 18 August 1921
Victory Medal - received by family on 1 May 1923
Memorial Plaque -received by family on 10 November 1922
Memorial Scroll & King’s Message - received by family on 22 September 1922
Three photos of his grave were received by his family on 24 November 1921.
Gunner W. J. Dunne’s death was reported in the Advertiser Newspaper in Footscray.
Source: “William Joseph Dunne (1896–1917),” Wyndham History, accessed February 3, 2020, http://www.wyndhamhistory.net.au/it