50197
BAIRSTOW, William Alfred
| Service Number: | 2295 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Redhill, South Australia, 17 October 1892 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Horse Driver |
| Died: | Influenza, Port Adelaide Isolation Hospital, South Australia, 22 May 1919, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham Cemetery, South Australia Section N, Drive C, Path 27, Site Number 161N |
| Memorials: | Norwood St Bartholomew's Anglican Church Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Trooper, 2295, 3rd Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2295, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Botanist embarkation_ship_number: A59 public_note: '' | |
| 26 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2295, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Botanist, Adelaide | |
| 22 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Trooper, 2295, 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
Help us honour William Alfred Bairstow's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Paul Lemar
William was the son of Jacob Hall BAIRSTOW & Frances Sarah WILSON and was born on the 17th of October 1892 in Redhill, SA.
His father was the son of Joseph Robert BAIRSTOW & Catherine HALLS and was born on the 2nd of September 1851 in Mt Barker, SA.
His mother was born 1864 in River Murray, SA.
William was the youngest child born into this family of 4 children.
Williams’s childhood is unknown, but the family lived in Redhill and later moved to Adelaide.
They then moved to Coonalpyn for a short period and after his father died on the 8th of September 1915, the family moved to 204 Weymouth Street, Adelaide and he gained employment as a horse driver.
At the age of 24, William enlisted into the AIF on the 15th of January 1916 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 2295 and posted to the Base Light Horse in Mitcham Camp.
He was then transferred to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, 16th Reinforcements.
With his imminent embarkation approaching, William married Ruby Eliza MCBRIDE on the 20th of March 1916 in St Paul’s Church, Adelaide, SA.
Ruby was the daughter of William MCBRIDE & Florence STARKS and was born on the 29th of August 1893 in Pt Augusta, SA.
William embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Botanist on the 26th of April 1916, disembarked in Port Suez and marched into the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment before joined the 3rd Light Horse Regiment.
Back in Australia Ruby gave birth to little William Jacob on the 8th of October 1916 in the Queen Victoria Hospital, Rose Park.
William served in Egypt for nearly 3 years and suffered from Otitis Media (middle ear infection) and Malaria on several occasions.
He finally embarked from Suez for Australia on the 1st of January 1919 on board HT Aeneas.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 13th of February and 2 days later he was admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick for 9 days for Malaria treatment.
Now, finally, he was able to meet his little son for the very first time and was discharged from the AIF on the 3rd of April 1919.
They made their home at Lapthorne Lane, Exeter, but sadly, the following month William became gravely ill with Influenza and was admitted into the Port Adelaide Isolation Hospital.
Sadly, William died of Influenza on Thursday the 22nd of May 1919 in the Port Adelaide Isolation Hospital.
Ruby buried William the following day in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section N, Drive C, Path 27, Plot 161N.
BAIRSTOW - On the 22nd of May 1919 at the Port Adelaide Isolation Hospital, William Alfred (late 3rd Light Horse) loving husband of Ruby Bairstow (nee McBride) and loving father of little Billy, Lapthorne Lane, Exeter, aged 28 years.
BAIRSTOW—THE FRIENDS of the late Mr. WILLIAM ALFRED BAIRSTOW are respectfully informed that his Remains will be removed from his late residence, Lapthorne Lane, Exeter, on FRIDAY at 2.30 p.m, for interment in the Cheltenham Cemetery.
F. W. MOORE, Undertaker.
After Williams’s death, Ruby married Robert Phillips HOLLAND on the 25th of May 1921. Robert had served with the 27th Battalion (4449).
They then had a child; Bruce Robert HOLLAND, who was born on the 20th of January 1922.
Ruby and Robert were divorced in 1932 and when Ruby died on the 26th of December 1967 she was cremated and interred in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section N, Drive C, Path 27, Plot 161N, with William.
Military
At the age of 24, William enlisted into the AIF on the 15th of January 1916 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 2295 and posted to the Base Light Horse in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his mother, of 204 Weymouth Street, Adelaide, as his next of kin.
On the 1st of February he was transferred to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, 16th Reinforcements.
William embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Botanist on the 26th of April 1916, disembarked in Port Suez and marched into the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment in Tel-el-Kebir Camp.
After just a few weeks of training he was taken on strength with the 3rd Light Horse Regiment at Romani on the 16th of June.
July was spent as support for the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade who were carrying out reconnaissance around Bir Salmana and they then moved onto Romani in August and supplied patrols every 3rd day to Hill 110.
It was here on the 30th of August that William suffered from Otitis Media (middle ear infection) and was admitted into the 2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance.
The following day he was transferred to the 31st General Hospital in Pt Said and after 6 days here he was transferred to the Montazah Convalescent Depot.
Not that William would have been aware at the time but back in Australia Ruby gave birth to little William Jacob on the 8th of October 1916 in the Queen Victoria Hospital, Rose Park.
The following day William was posted to the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment, now in Moascar Camp.
Two weeks later he suffered from Otitis Media again and was admitted into the 24th Stationary Hospital in Kantara for a week before rejoining the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment on the 7th of November.
Then on the 1st of December he was detached to the School of Instruction in Zeitoun for 2 weeks and qualified in the 1st Class Lewis Gun Course on the 16th.
William spent Christmas 1916 in Moascar Camp before he rejoined the 3rd Light Horse Regiment at El Risa.
The 3rd Light Horse Regiment had joined the Allied advance across the Sinai in November and had subsequently been involved in the fighting to secure the Turkish outposts on the Palestine frontier - Maghdaba on the 23rd of December 1916.
On the 9th of January 1917 they were then involved in the Battle at Rafa before moving to El Arish by the 1st of February.
Ten days later, they moved west along the beach to El Mazar, Salmana and then onto Bir-el-Abd to relieve the East Riding Yeomanry on pipe line patrol.
Then on the 17th of March William attended the Scholl of Cookery in Ismalia for 2 weeks before rejoining his Regiment.
They then had a stint of protective duty along the line of communications through the Sinai and then their next major engagement was the abortive second battle of Gaza on the 19th of April.
By the 1st of May they had moved to Shellal and then onto Heseia where they were on patrol duty in the country near Sausage Ridge, before moving to Abasan-el-Kebir into training.
On the 18th of June they moved into the beach camp near Marakeb and it was her on the 30th that William suffered from Otitis Media again and was admitted into the ANZAC Receiving Station.
The following day he was transferred by Hospital Train to the 26th Casualty Clearing Station in El Arish and the following week he was transferred to the 24th Stationary Hospital in Kantara.
Then on the 10th of July William was transferred to the Citadel General Hospital in Cairo.
After 3 weeks here he was discharged to duty to the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment and then on the 25th of August he was detached to the Railway Construction Party to build a railway to carry troops and supplies all the was to the Palestine border through the desert.
On the 25th of July 1918 William was struck down with Malaria and admitted into the 26th Casualty Clearing Station in El Arish and then transferred to the 47th Stationary Hospital in Gaza.
A few days later he was admitted into the 31st General Hospital in Abbassia for 3 weeks before being discharged to the Boulac Convalescent Depot on the 19th of August.
After 9 days here William was posted to the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment and then rejoined the 3rd Light Horse Regiment on the 15th of October at Ain Hemar.
The Armistice of Mudros was signed on the 30th of October and on the 5th of November they moved to Talaat-ed-Dumm and then to near Latron, in the Jordan Valley.
Whilst here, on the 11th of November, William suffered from Malaria again and was admitted into the 26th Casualty Clearing Station in El Arish and then transferred to the 44th Stationary Hospital in Kantara.
He was then transferred to the 14th Australian General Hospital in Pt Said on the 16th of November.
After a few weeks here William was discharged and after spending his last Christmas away from his wife and son, that he hadn’t yet met, William embarked from Suez for Australia on the 1st of January 1919 on board HT Aeneas.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 13th of February and 2 days later he was admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick for 9 days.
William was discharged from the AIF on the 3rd of April 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.