Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

A chance “find” while researching WW1 soldiers for the Centenary in Orange led to unravelling the story of an ordinary man doing “his bit” for the war effort.

The following article appeared in the Orange Leader on the 18th May 1921:

Digger's lonely death at the hospital yesterday. William Wrangham, a returned digger, passed away after suffering from wounds received and being gassed in the recent war. The Returned Soldiers' Club were notified of the sad end and also informed that deceased was a stranger to the town, he would have been buried as a pauper, but the Diggers of Orange have arranged to give their late comrade a fit and proper burial and the secretary asks all returned men who possibly came to attend the funeral, which will leave the hospital this morning. Deceased had been visiting about the district for some time. He was aged 56 years.

William Wrangham was born in Whitehaven Cumbria England on the 12 June 1865 to George and Isabella Wrangham. What prompted him to come to Australia is unknown but he arrived in Victoria via “Liguria” in August 1886. He stayed in Victoria for eight years before travelling on to Albany in Western Australia arriving March 1894 via “Gabo”. Gold had been discovered in Kalgoorlie in 1893 and perhaps he thought that the prospect of making his fortune was better in Western Australia than it had been in Victoria. Electoral Rolls and advertisements in the Coolgardie Miner in 1898 revealed he became a carrier/contractor in Norseman owning a jinker (trailer) for moving houses.

War broke out in Europe in 1914. William attested at the Blackboy Hill Camp, about 22klms from Perth, in Western Australia on 29th December 1915. He gave his age as 44 years but in reality, he was 50 years old by this time. He was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 140 lbs with dark complexion, grey hair and grey eyes. He gave his brother-in-law Mr J Myers in England as his next-of-kin. Recorded as SN5454, he formed part of the 17th Reinforcements of the 16th Battalion and on the 17th April 1916, he boarded HMAT A60 Aeneas bound for England and then onto the Western Front in France.

According to his war record, he acted as a driver and for some time was driving for the Australian Army Veterinary Hospital both in England and in Calais. He was hospitalised several times in 1917 but his record does not state the reason. He did manage to forfeit 2 days’ pay for “overstaying furlough” in France on the 26th April 1917.

William’s health deteriorated, he returned to Australia per HT Balmoral Castle on the 1st Feb 1918. He was discharged as medically unfit on the 12 April 1918. By this time his age was recorded correctly as 53.

For his 19 months service in France William Wrangham was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

One must ask how a man born in England and working in Western Australia ended up in Orange. Perhaps a clue comes from one of the witnesses mentioned on his death certificate, L.R. Anlezark. Leslie Reginald Anlezark had joined the Coo-ee March from Gilgandra to Sydney in 1915 and went on to serve in France and Belgium. Leslie too was hospitalised several times in 1917 and perhaps the two became friends and he invited William to Orange for a visit or to work.

William died in Orange Base Hospital on the 17th May 1921. He never married.

Searches on Ancestry located a family tree mentioning William Wrangham’s family. A sister Ann was wife of Mr J Myers mentioned as next-of-kin in his war record and also named in William’s will as beneficiary. Two descendants of Ann have now been located, one in Braidwood New South Wales and one in Ballarat Victoria.

It did not seem acceptable that a man who served this country should lay forgotten in the local cemetery. On the 18th December 2910 application was made to the Australia War Graves Commission for an official commemoration to be placed on his grave. This was accepted in June 2020 and the application was completed and forwarded to AWG. In December 2020 a full grave headstone was placed on this grave nearly 100 years after William Wrangham was interred there.

The Orange Ex-Services club, headed by Mr Chris Colvin conducted a Remembrance ceremony at the graveside as a mark of respect for his war service.