5799
ATKINSON, William
| Service Number: | 4655 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Preston, Lancashire, England, 14 August 1882 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Retired |
| Died: | 1 April 1961, aged 78 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham Memorial Park, Victoria, Australia Area: Church of England; Section: 327; Grave: 42 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4655, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4655, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 4 Oct 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 27th Infantry Battalion, Promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in his Unit which was 12th Reinforcement, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
| 6 Oct 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Oct 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 4655, 27 Infantry Battalion AMF, Discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on orders by Medical Board Proceedings due to chronic synovitis of the left knee. | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 4655, 27th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
Life Biography of Sgt William Atkinson (14th August 1882 - 1st April 1961)
ANZAC World War 1 Soldier (21st January 1916 - 23rd October 1918)
William Atkinson's Life prior to Army Enlistment -
World War 1 sergeant William Atkinson, born on the 14th August 1882, was originally born in the town of Preston in the county of Lancashire, England. Born into a Methodist family, he spent a majority of his childhood in Preston but later on migrated to Adelaide, Australia with his mother, Mrs S.J. Atkinson. After finishing school, it is unknown where he worked for a majority of his early adulthood and even married a woman from his hometown Preston, Mrs Minnie Jane Atkinson. Furthermore, just as he was about to settle his life at an adult life of 33 years, the First World War broke out upon the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Austrian-Hungarian empire declaring war on Serbia with the Commonwealth countries allying against the Central Powers.
William Atkinson, who by this stage gave his occupation as "retired", joined the Australian Imperial Force at the Adelaide CBD on 21st January 1916, and embarked on the HMAT Aeneas on 11th April 1916 to England from Adelaide, Australia. His wife was at this point living in back in Preston.
William Atkinson's Life during World War 1 -
Following his enlistment at the rank of a private into 12th Reinforcement of the 27th Infantry Battalion of the AIF in World War 1. Upon his enlistment medical examination as a soldier on the 20th January 1916, he was described by the attesting officer to have brown eyes and brown hair and an above average height 1.8 metres. Following on, as his battalion of approximately 146 soldiers arrived in France on the western front to ally with the British and French soldiers to defend in chiefly trench warfare against the German Empire army.
William joined his Battalion in France on 28th September 1916 and a week later was promoted to Lance Corporal. A month after that, on 6th November 1916, he was promoted to Sergeant, and served with his unit over the winter. On 27th April 1917 he was sent to hospital with a knee injury which he suffered during a game of football. He rejoined his Battalion on 11th May but, only a few weeks later on 31st May, was sent to a training camp. He served in training units behind the lines throughout the rest of 1917 and the first half of 1918. In August 1918 he was sent home to Australia due chronic synovitis in his left knee, which appears to be a result of the football injury from April 1917. He was discharged on 21st October 1918.
William Atkinson's Life following Army Dispatchment -
By 1922, William was living at 18 William Avenue, Dulwich; it was there he received his Victory Medal. At some point he remarried, because his headstone records him as "beloved husband of Lilian, beloved father of Betty and Peter. He died on 1st April 1961 and is buried at Cheltenham Memorial Park in Melbourne.
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