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Australia

William was the son of Joseph BLAND & Lucy RAINBOW and was born on the 14th of August 1872 in Meppershall, Bedfordshire, England.
He was baptised on the 4th of May 1873 in St Mary’s Church, Meppershall, Bedford, England.

His parents were married on the 1st of April 1872 in St Mary’s Church, Meppershall, Bedford, England.

His father was the son of Thomas BLAND & Rebecca SMITH and was born in 1852 in Meppershall, Bedfordshire, England.
His mother was the daughter of John RAINBOW & Susannah HARRIS and was born in 1855 in Meppershall, Bedfordshire, England.

William was the eldest child born into this family of 13 children.

His father was an agricultural labourer and the family lived at 9 Bridal Way, Meppershall, Bedfordshire.

On leaving school William gained employment as a labourer before boarding in St Pancras, London, in 1891.

On the 23rd of February 1892 William enlisted into the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in Oxford and was allotted the service number 3856.
He was posted to the 1st Battalion on the 21st of May before being posted to India with the 2nd Battalion (originally the 52nd Light Infantry) on the 4th of February 1893 and stationed on the North West Frontier.

Whilst serving in India William married Catherine CHRISTIE on the 29th of May 1901 in Bombay, India.
Catherine was the daughter of Charles Alexander CHRISTIE & Catherine Josephine CASEY and was born on the 8th of September 1896 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

They welcomed their first child; William Joseph, on the 27th of September 1902 in Deesa, India.

William was then posted back to England for home service on the 23rd of October 1903 and they welcomed their second child; Alfred Henry, on the 5th of March 1904 in Chatham, England.

On the 19th of February 1905 William was posted back to India where Stanley Arthur was born on the 2nd of July 1905 in Lucknow, India.
Kathleen Lucy Mary was then born on the 20th of June 1907 in Kosauli, India, but sadly she died on the 18th of April 1908 in Dilkusha, Bengal, India.

William was then posted to Burma on the 4th of December 1908 and Arthur John was born on the 21st of May 1909 in Maymyo, Burma.
On the 26th of September 1910 William was posted back to India where their last child; Margaret Mary was born on the 17th of May 1912 in Wellington, India.

William was discharged from the Battalion on the 26th of February 1913 and then he and Lucy decided to move their family to Australia. They arrived in South Australia on the 15th of March 1913 on board the Mongolia from Colombo.

They made their home in Buller Terrace, Alberton and the following month William joined the Citizen Military Forces on the 19th of April 1913.
He joined as Instructional Staff (Permanent Force) with the rank of Staff Sergeant Major.

On the 22nd of January 1915 William was admitted into the Adelaide Hospital form Oaklands Camp suffering from appendicitis and after undergoing an appendectomy he was discharged back to camp on the 4th of February.
At the age of 45, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 16th of August 1917 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 6761 and posted to B Company in Mitcham Camp as CSM.

He was posted to the 27th Battalion, 20th Reinforcements and entrained to Melbourne on the 27th of October.
Three days later he was promoted to WO Class II and embarked from Melbourne, on board HMAT Aeneas on the 30th of October 1917.

He disembarked in Devonport, England on the 27th of December and marched into the 6th Training Brigade in Fovant before proceeding to France on the 1st of April 1918 and was posted to the 48th Battalion.

He served in France for the remainder of the war and eventually embarked for England on the 9th of April.
He disembarked in Southampton the following day and marched to No.2 Group in Sutton Veny.
On the 15th of May William was granted 3 months leave with pay (Non Military Employment) to attend Rooktree Farm in Haynes-Bedford, owned by T Simpson Esquire, for the purpose of farming employment.

After completing his course he reported to Headquarters in Sutton Veny on the 2nd of September 1919 and was granted extended leave.

William embarked from England on board HT Nestor on the 1st of November 1919 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 12th of December.

On the 5th of January 1920 William rejoined the CMF as Instructional Staff (Permanent Force), for a 3 year engagement at Keswick Military Barracks.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 12th of January 1920.

On the 14th of April 1921 the AIC (Australian Instructional Corps) replaced the Administrative and Instructional Staff.

Three years later, on the 19th of April 1924, William reengaged with the AIC for a further 3 years.
Then at the end of this engagement he reengaged for another 3 years.

He was staff of the 43rd Battalion in Southwark and Secretary of the Military Rifle Club in Southwark.

In late February 1928 William was unable to attend the Gawler Military Camp with the trainees due to illness.

William died on Sunday the 3rd of March 1928.

The following day a Military Funeral was held for William. The funeral left his home at 4pm and William was placed on upon a gun carriage and escorted to the Cheltenham Cemetery.

The 43rd Battalion came from Gawler Camp for his funeral and he was buried with full military honours in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section FX, Drive A, Path 25, Site Number 58C.

Military

Oxfordshire Light Infantry

On the 23rd of February 1892 William enlisted into the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in Oxford and was allotted the service number 3856.
He was posted to the 1st Battalion on the 21st of May before being posted to India with the 2nd Battalion (originally the 52nd Light Infantry) on the 4th of February 1893 and stationed on the North West Frontier.

On the 5th of November 1895 William was promoted to Lance Corporal and in 1897 and then his Battalion formed part of the Peshawar column in the Tirah Expedition in the volatile North-West Frontier in 1897.
The Afridi tribe had previously received a subsidy from the government of British India to safeguard the Khyber Pass for sixteen years; in addition to which the government had maintained for this purpose a local regiment entirely composed of Afridi, who were stationed in the pass.
Suddenly, however, the tribesmen rose, captured all the posts in the Khyber held by their own countrymen, and attacked the forts on the Samana Range near the city of Peshawar.
William and his Battalion were deployed and subsequently saw action in the Khyber Pass, around Koda Khel and Ali Masjid and during this time William was promoted to Corporal.

In February 1903 they were transferred from Bombay to Poona and on the 16th of August 1903 William was promoted to Sergeant before they returned home to their base in Chatham, England on the 23rd of October 1903, for home service.

Then on the 19th of February 1905 William was posted back to India and on the 16th of October 1908 the Regiment changed its name to the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commonly shortened to the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry.

On the 4th of December 1908 William and his Battalion were posted to Burma (Thayetmyo, Meiktila, and Mandalay) and the following year William was promoted to Colour Sergeant.
They then returned to Wellington, India on the 26th of September 1910.

William was discharged from the Battalion on the 26th of February 1913.

He was awarded the following medals;
India Medal, North West Frontier Campaign with Punjab Frontier Clasp 1897-98 and Tirah Clasp 1897-98.
Long Service & Good Conduct Medal
Meritorious Service Medal.

WW1

At the age of 45, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 16th of August 1917 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 6761 and posted to B Company in Mitcham Camp as CSM.
He listed his wife, of Buller Terrace, Alberton, as his next of kin.

Later that same day he was posted to the 27th Battalion, 20th Reinforcements.

William entrained to Melbourne on the 27th of October and 3 days later he was promoted to WO Class II and embarked from Melbourne, on board HMAT Aeneas on the 30th of October 1917.
After spending Christmas 1917 on board the troopship he disembarked in Devonport, England on the 27th of December and marched into the 6th Training Brigade in Fovant.

William proceeded to France on the 1st of April 1918 and 5 days later he was posted to the 48th Battalion, who was located in Pioneer Trench, near Albert.
The following day they moved to the back trenches near Bresle where they were engaged for the rest of the month in Cachy Line, repairing the wire and trenches.

They spent Anzac Day waiting for orders to assist in recapturing Villers-Bretonneux, taken by the Germans the day before; but they were stood down after hearing the Australian 13th and 15th Brigades had recaptured the town in the early hours of Anzac Day.

They then remained quietly in Cachy Switch until the night of the 2nd of May when they moved to Balngy-Tronville and were heavily involved in the attack at Monument Wood at 2am the following morning.
The wood was heavily wired and protected by numerous well-sited machine-guns, making the capture of this position a daunting prospect and they were tasked with ejecting the Germans from the wood.

A, B and C companies made the main assault with D Company in reserve.
The attack was preceded by an artillery bombardment which only consisted of 6 eighteen pounders firing for two minutes, and then stopped …
They were astounded at the poorness of the barrage, which was just enough to wake the Germans.
As the Australian attack began, they were illuminated by flares and came under heavy German machine-gun fire.
The German wire remained uncut and the Australian attack stalled.
However, some members of B and C Companies did manage to break through the wire and make their way into the woods.
They managed an assault on a farmhouse and its outbuildings, killing several Germans and capturing six more. The prisoners were sent back to the Australian lines, escorted by a wounded Australian.

After posting Mills bombs through the farmhouse door, they charged inside, killing three Germans they encountered on entry. Other German soldiers fled and made their way into the wood. A cellar was found under the farmhouse and Mills bombs were rolled down the stairs. One German officer was killed and several wounded. The remaining Germans surrendered and after being disarmed, were sent back to the Australian lines under guard.

The Germans launched a counterattack in overwhelming numbers and the Australians in Monument Wood were forced to withdraw. Faced with being cut off and surrounded, they were ordered a fighting withdrawal. The men moved in bounds, covered by well-sited Lewis gun teams who provided fire between their own moves.
They captured 21 Germans, who turned out to be the headquarters of the 20th Jäger Battalion. They were the only prisoners taken during the attack by the Australians.

Monument Wood cost the 48th Battalion 150 casualties.
Monument Wood was finally captured by the 26th Battalion in July.

With an unsuccessful attack here they then moved back to Balngy-Tronville and into billets. A few days later they moved into the Aubigny Line and rotated in and out of the front line until the 22nd of May when they marched to Rivery and into training.
On the 2nd of June they moved to Vecquemont and back into the front line before moving 7 miles to Sailly-le-Sec in mid June.
They then moved into reserve in early July at Vaire-sur-Corbie and supplied working parties to work on “Diggers” Communication trench.

By early August they had moved to Fouilloy and on the 8th of August the British and their allies launched what would become known as the “Hundred Days” Offensive.
The 48th Battalion began their advance towards Proyart where they were tasked with improving trenches before moving to Sailly-Laurette and then onto Harbonniers and then Rosieres by mid August.
They were relieved on the 25th and embussed to St Vaast en Chausee for further training before moving forward on the 10th of September to Beaumetz.
The following day they were suddenly ordered forward to Flechin and then to Tincourt.

By late September they had moved through Eterpigny and Assevillers before being embussed to Revelles where they settled down to training and Company sports.
Whilst here William was promoted to Temporary RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) on the 17th of October as RSM Stoerkel was detached to the American 107th Regiment, 27th Division, to assist them in their attack on the Hindenburg Line.

William and the 48th Battalion remained here and on the 10th of November they were preparing to move, but at 2pm this was postponed for 18 hours and later 24 hours.
There were rumors that an Armistice had been arranged and everyone, especially the French were very excited.
The following morning at 11am the Armistice was signed and at 2:30pm the French people hung out flags and rang church bells violently and all the villagers dashed bout the place yelling in excited voices “Fini le Guerre”.
The 48th Battalion caught some of the enthusiasm and an old Australian flag was hung out of the scouts billets.
The band played the “Marseillaise” and later on when things quietened down the main remark was “Well, I’m …… if I can ……. Well realize it!”

Two days later they moved to CLairy, marched to Saleux and entrained to Epehy.
They then marched to Templeux-le-Gueard, entrained on light railway to Brancourt and then marched to Fresnoy-le-Grand.
On the 22nd of November they moved again through St Souplet, Favril and Grand Fayt before reaching Avesnelles 7 days later.

On the 2nd of December William reverted back to his rank of WO Class II and then on the 16th of December they moved to Waulsort and William was granted leave to England 4 days later.

Whilst in England he became sick and spent Christmas 1918 in hospital before proceeding back to France and rejoining his Battalion in Waulsort on the 10th of January 1919.

By the end of February they moved to Nalinnes where they spent March and the men of the 48th began to return to England.
On the 31st of March the remainder of the 48th Battalion was reorganised into 1 Company which became known as the 48th Company.
The same day William underwent a medical for his return to England.

William embarked for England on the 9th of April, disembarked in Southampton the following day and marched to No.2 Group in Sutton Veny.
On the 15th of May William was granted 3 months leave with pay (Non Military Employment) to attend Rooktree Farm in Haynes-Bedford, owned by T Simpson Esquire, for the purpose of farming employment.

After completing his course he reported to Headquarters in Sutton Veny on the 2nd of September 1919 and was granted extended leave.

William embarked from England on board HT Nestor on the 1st of November 1919 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 12th of December.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 12th of January 1920 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.