Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Jonas HORSFALL and Emily nee NICHOLS

Surgeon-Commander W.N. Horsfall, of the Royal Navy, who is a graduate in medicine of the Melbourne University, is now on a visit to Melbourne, having just returned from the war.  He was principal medical officer of the 1st Australian Hospital ship Grantala, which saw service in Rabaul in 1914, and latterly has served in H.M.S. Cleopatra and H.M.S. Dauntless, belonging to the Harwich Force under Admiral Tyrrhitt, operating in the North Sea.

Horsfall, William Nicholls: University of Melbourne class of 1897; Graduate of Hawthorn College. Graduated MB, BS. Permanent RN 1904 to 1913; 6/8/1914, Rabaul as PMO on HS Grantala; Fleet surgean RAN; Demobilized Feb 1915; Joined RN May 1917 as Staff Surgeon, later Surgeon Lt Commander Harwich Force, North Sea; Surgeon Commander RN on Emergency List 11 Nov 1918; Demobilized Bermudas May 1919. (from University of Melb Record of Active Service, 1926. )

Dr. W. N. Horsfall, who has been engaged in the practice of rais profession at Hamilton for the last four years, has had his services accepted by the Admiralty as staff-surgeon in  the Royal Navy, and will leave almost immediately for England.
On the outbreak of the war in 1914, Dr. Horsfall was appointed to the hospital ship Grantala, and proceeded to Rabaul, serving as principal medical officer and fleet surgeon of the  Royal Australian Navy, and remained with that vessel during the period of active operations, from August to January, 1915. Returning to Newcastle, to resumed practice at Hamilton. Dr. Horsfall has had a distinguished career in medicine. Qualifying at Melbourne in 1901, he was appointed medical officer in the Auckland Hospital, N.Z., and came to  Newcastle in 1903, and for a short period acted as resident medical oficrer at the Newcastle Hospital. He  then proceeded to England, and entered the Royal Navy as surgeon,  being later promoted to the rank of staff-surgeon. During this period he served for three and a half years In the flagship of the British North American-West Indian squadron; and  another three years were subsequently spent as staff-surgeon in the Royal Naval Hospital, at Bermuda. Returning to Newcastle in 1913, he went into practice in conjunction with  Dr. J. C. Douglas, replacing his brother, Dr. A. H. Horsfall. It is Dr. Horsfall's intention to return to Newcastle at the termination of the war. In the meantime, Dr. S. Gardiner will act  as his locum tenons.

Surgeon Commander William Nichools Horsfall, R.N. (ret), died in London on July 19th.  He was educated at Melbourne University where he graduated M.B, B.S. in 1902.  After serving as honoary assistant physician to the North Shore Hospital, Sydney, and as honorary medical officer of Newcastle Hospital, he entered the Navy, but resiged on April 10th, 1913.  He rejoined for the war, and became surgeon commander on November 11th, 1918.  He had recently been living in Bermunda.