Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

It is believed Syd Williams may have enlisted for the First World War in an attempt to find his friend, Alan Redford who went Missing in Action at Gallipoli in May 1915.

Alan's brother Rees enlisted in the same month as Syd with the same intent of finding Alan. Unfortunately Alan was never found and by January 1916, although his body was never officially found, Alan had been declared as Killed In Action.

Syd survived almost four years at war on the Western Front and would never forget the experience. Almost 10 years after his return from war he named his new born son, Alan, after his lost friend.

Syd was born in Millicent, South Australia, in 1889 to a drainage worker and he was one of eight children. His father purchased a farm but died at the age of just 60 when Syd was just 19 years old. He and his siblings had to make a living for themselves and their now widowed mother.

A good horseman and a big strong lad, Syd worked the farm. In his spare time he took part in athletics competitions and played Australian Rules football, chess and read profusely.

He enlisted for the war in 1915 at Adelaide. He was 25 years old.

His enlistment papers describe him as having a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He was six foot two inches tall and 14 stone.

Syd was put into the 31st battery of the 8th Field Artillery Brigade and embarked for Europe on the troopship Medic in May 1916. The 8th FAB served on the bloody battlefields of the Western Front during which time Syd was promoted to Sergeant.

Syd returned to Australia on the troopship Zealandia in June 1919.

He went back to farming at Mt Graham, near Millicent in the south east of South Australia. Syd married, had two children and rarely spoke of the war. He would wake from his sleep yelling and his wife would remark that it was the war that made him do so.

He retired to Portland, Victoria, and died there in 1982 just short of his 93rd birthday. He is buried with his wife, Martha, in the Millicent Lawn Cemetery.