MORRIS, William Joseph
| Service Number: | 3730 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | fiiter |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3730, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3730, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), RMS Malwa, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 3730, 48th Infantry Battalion |
Amputation of right arm WIA
William Joseph Morris was born in Adelaide about 1892, a fitter by trade he enlisted into the A.I.F. on 28/7/1915 and was assigned to the 12th Reinforcements 16th Battalion.
He deployed to Egypt on 2/12/1915 and landed just intime to qualify for the 14-15 Star. No doubt because of the reorganisation of the A.I.F. in March 1916, he was posted to the 48th Battalion on 9/3/1916, the battalion was officially formed on the 16th.
He landed in France with the battalion in June 1916 and was serving with them when he was wounded in action on 31/8/1916 receiving a serious gunshot wound to his right arm. At the time the battalion was holding the line at the newly captured position at Pozieres.
During the month of August the battalion was in the line from the 5 to 7 and 12 to 15. During the former period the battalion endured what was said to be heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced by Australian troops and suffered 598 casualties. A diorama at the Australian War Memorial depicts the battalion's experience at Pozieres.
He was subsequently evacuated back to England where his arm was amputated before being returned to Australia for a medical discharge (with Silver War Badge) on 18/3/1918. He remained in Adelaide until his death in 1977.
Submitted 24 April 2024 by Edward Robinson