GRENFELL, William Noel
| Service Number: | 4909 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St. Ives, Cornwall, January 1875 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Seaman |
| Died: | Valvular Disease of the Heart, Bermondsey Military Hospital, Ladywell Road, London S.W., United Kingdom, 15 August 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, England, United Kingdom Buried 17 August 1918 in Plot IV. Row C. Grave 1. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4909, 1st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4909, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4909, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney | |
| 20 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4909, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), GSW chest - slight | |
| 15 Aug 1918: | Involvement Private, 4909, 53rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4909 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-08-15 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
[Births Mar 1875 Grenfell William Noall[sic] Penzance 5c 284]
Son of Mary Grenfell of St Ives-it appears she pre-deceased him.
Attested 13 September 1915 at Warwick Farm Depot, NSW.
He served in the Suez Canal Zone, Egypt in 1916.
Enlisted Sydney, NSW aged 40 years 7 months,
Resident Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Next of kin - Hilda Victoria Leonard. (Cousin)-sole beneficiary of his will dated 17th July 1916 made in the trenches, and 9th March 1917 and 27th August 1917.
At Wimereux Hospital 21 July 1916 after receiving a bullet wound to the chest 19 July 1916.
Embarked on the Hospital Ship Jan Breydell at Boulogne for England 25 July 1916.
Admitted to St Lukes War Hospita inl Halifax 26 July 1916 with slight gunshot wounds to the chest.
Re-joined his unit from hospital at Base Depot 24 November 1916.
Admitted to hospital sick 15 July 1918.
Invalided to United Kingdom Valvular Disease of the Heart. from France 21 July 1918 with heart failure,
Admitted to Bemondsey Military Hospital Valvular Disease of the Heart. 22 July 1918.
He is one of two Australian casualties of the Great War remembered on the St Ives war memorial.
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 15th August…… William Noel Grenfell was born at St. Ives, Cornwall, England in 1875. He joined the Merchant Sea Service & received his Certificate of Competency as Second Mate of a Foreign-Going Ship on 20th June, 1895.
Between 1905 & 1910 William Noel Grenfell was listed as Crew on vessels sailing from different ports in Australia.
William Noel Grenfell enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 10th September, 1915 as a 40 year old, single, Seaman from 19 Allen Street, Pyrmont, Sydney, NSW.
Private William Noel Grenfell embarked from Sydney, NSW on HMAT Star of England (A15) on 8th March, 1916 with the 1st Infantry Battalion, 15th Reinforcements & disembarked at Suez on 11th April, 1916.
He was transferred from 1st Battalion to 53rd Battalion on 20th April, 1916 at Tel-el-Kebir.
Private Grenfell embarked from Alexandria on 19th March, 1916 on Royal George to join B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force). He disembarked at Marseilles, France on 28th March, 1916.
Private William Noel Grenfell was wounded in action in France on 19th July, 1916. He was admitted to 14th Field Ambulance on 20th July, 1916 then transferred to 8th Australian Casualty Clearing Station on the same day. Private Grenfell was transferred to Ambulance Train on 21st July, 1916 & admitted to 8th Stationary Hospital, Wimereaux, France on 21st July, 1916 with G.S.W. (gunshot) wounds to Chest. (The Statement of Service form recorded he had “Shell ‘Shock’ Chest”). He embarked from Boulogne, France on 25th July, 1916 for England on Hospital Ship Jan Breydel.
[Casualties listed for 53rd Battalion : 19th – 20th July, 1916 as known on 26th July, 1916: Killed – 36; Wounded 353; Missing 236]
Private Grenfell was admitted to St Luke’s War Hospital, England on 26th July, 1916 with G.S.W. to Chest (slight). He was discharged & posted to 2nd Australian Command Depot at Weymouth, England on 11th September, 1916. Private Grenfell was transferred to No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire, England on 11th October, 1916.
Private Grenfell proceeded overseas to France on 11th November, 1916 from 14th Training Battalion in England. He re-joined 53rd Battalion in France on 24th November, 1916.
Private Grenfell was sent to Divisional Rest Camp at Valerie-Sur-Somme, France on 27th May, 1917. He rejoined his Unit on 12th June, 1917 from Divisional Rest Camp.
Private Grenfell was on Leave to UK from 10th December, 1917 & rejoined his Unit from Leave on 29th December, 1917.
Private Grenfell was admitted to 20th Casualty Clearing Station on 15th July, 1918 from 5th Divisional Nucleus Camp with VD Heart – Valvular disease of the heart. He was transferred to Ambulance Train on 18th July, 1918 & admitted to 1st Australian General Hospital at Rouen on 19th July, 1918.
Private Grenfell was transferred to England on 21st July, 1918 with heart failure & was admitted to Bermondsey Military Hospital, Ladywell Rd, Lewisham, London, England on 22nd July, 1918. The Hospital Admissions form recorded : “Bullet wound chest July 1916 – R. marfin(?) sternum(?) in 1st space. Admitted with double aortic tract __ ventricle with much mitral reguritation.”
Private William Noel Grenfell died at 12.30 am on 15th August, 1918 at Bermondsey Military Hospital, Ladywell Rd, Lewisham, London, England from Aortic V.D.H. The Hospital Admissions form recorded he died of heart failure.
He was buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England – Australian Military Burial Ground where around 360 Australian WW1 War Graves are located.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/f---g.html
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