COCHRAN, William Charles
| Service Number: | 1901 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 February 1916, Bathurst |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Mullaley, New South Wales, Australia, 19 March 1892 |
| Home Town: | Gunnedah, Gunnedah, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Mullaley Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 2 October 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery X. B. 21A. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gunnedah Cenotaph, Mullaley War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1901, Bathurst | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 1901, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 22 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 1901, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 2 Oct 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1901, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Multiple shell wounds - compound fracture of right leg, shattered right foot and shrapnel wounds to left buttock and leg. |
Help us honour William Charles Cochran's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Michael Silver
One of twelve chidren of Robert and Margaret Cochran (nee Hendren), William Charles (Bill) Cochran was born at the family property 'Danlo' near Mullaley, NSW in 1892. He worked with his father on the family property prior to World War I.
When war broke out, Bill and his older brother Robert (S/N 2268) enlisted, leaving their female siblings to help out on the sheep and cattle station.
Before he went to war Bill Cochran bought the first car to 'Danlo' in 1914, driving it all the way from Longreach, Queensland where it had been a hire car. The magnificent Sudebaker created great excitement in the district when it arrived. His father purchased the car from Bill before he went overseas in May 1916 but tragically he would never return from the war.
Private William Cochran suffered fatal wounds from a shell blast on 2 October 1916 near Voormezele, Belgium.
In a moving letter from the No. 10 Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Siding, Lijssenthoek, the Presbyterian Chaplain, William Baxter desribed to his parents Bill's last moments ...... "your son came into this clearing station a little after 9 o'clock last night.
He was suffering from very serious wounds and your boy was very weak. I offered to write home for him and got your address.
Then we prayed together, in which we asked that he might be restored to health and strength and to you, but prepared ourselves for whatever might be God's will and committed ourselves to his love and mercy."
The letter went on to describe his treatment and wounds and reassured his parents that he died peacefully and in little pain.
"...... We buried him in the afternoon with all the honours given to a gallant soldier in time of war. No coffin is used at the front, but instead a plaid or blanket is sewed around the body and over all the Union Jack is spread. Six soldiers lowered his body into the ground, then all uncovered their heads while I conducted a simple funeral service."
His grave is located in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery along with almost 11,000 others who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War.
His brother, 2286 Corporal Robert Cochran (1889-1949), 34th Battalion A.I.F. returned to Australia in August 1919 and went back to the land as a grazier.
Credit: Marie Hobson
Reference: Namoi Valley Independent - 7 September 1995
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