Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

HART  William James  #366 42nd Battalion

William Hart reported that he was born at Strathpine to John and Christina Hart, and attended school at Warner State School. When William presented himself for enlistment at Brisbane on 26th October 1915, he advised that he was 27 years old, single and worked as a labourer.

William was placed in a depot battalion before being allocated as an original member of the 42nd Battalion. The 42nd Battalion was raised in Queensland and would form part of the 11th Brigade of the 3rd Division. William boarded the “Borda” in Sydney on 5th June 1916. The embarkation roll shows he had allocated 3/- a day to his mother.

The “Borda” headed direct to England via Capetown and Sierra Leone and arrived in Southampton on 23rd July. The battalion was marched into a new camp on Salisbury Plain at Larkhill. Their arrival coincided with the arrival of the newly promoted commander of the 3rd Division; Major General John Monash. Monash’s plan was that he would train the division of 20,000 men as a complete battle group incorporating artillery, signals, administration, transport and medical.

The training at Larkhill continued at frenetic speed and word of the Australian commander who had fought so “gallantly” and “splendidly” at Gallipoli even reached the ear of the King.

Barely two months after taking control of the division, Monash would host King George V when he travelled down to Larkhill by royal train for an inspection. The march past of the division took two hours and during this time the King and Monash chatted amiably as they rested in their saddles and took the salute.

On 25th November 1916, the 3rd Division shipped overseas. In spite of their intensive training, most of the men had never experienced action and Monash was determined that his fighting force would be gradually acclimatised to the rigours of trench warfare before any major assault. The 11th Brigade would find itself rotating in and out of the line in the vicinity of Ploegsteert Wood (usually referred to as Plug Street), and engaging in limited trench raiding. While manning the trenches in the Armentieres sector on 27th March 1917, B Company of the 42nd were subjected a heavy strafing by enemy heavy artillery which accompanied a trench raid. During this raid, William sustained a severe gunshot wound to his left arm. He was evacuated via a casualty clearing station to 13th General Hospital at Boulogne where it was determined that William’s humerus was fractured, requiring surgery. William was transferred to the London War Hospital via hospital ship. William’s mother was kept informed of his progress in hospital by telegram.

In June, William was discharged from hospital and granted two weeks furlough, probably with his arm still in a sling. He was then posted to a convalescent depot at Weymouth and was not passed fit until March 1918, being marched out to the Training Brigade at Sutton Veney and from there to France. A troublesome hernia kept William at Rouelles until August. He finally rejoined his battalion on the Somme on 15th August.

One week prior to William’s arrival, the entire Australian Corps of five divisions as well as the Canadian Corps and elements of Rawlinson’s 3rd Army had attacked across a wide front. The result was spectacular with an advance of over 7 miles into open country. In the ensuing days, the advance continued on both banks of the Somme.

On 26th August, in the vicinity of Bray sur Somme, while the 42nd was again advancing towards Cyclone Wood, William Hart was killed by an artillery shell. When the news reached his mother she was anxious to know how her son had died and where he was buried. It appears she contacted the Soldiers Inquiry Office, an arm of the Department of Justice in the Queensland Government for assistance. Enquiries were also made through the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Service.

Private Dagg of the 42nd informed the Red Cross in 1919 that he had helped to bury William and another man in the same shell hole. A board with the particulars of each soldier was erected but sadly the location of the grave had been lost when the Graves Registration Unit searched the battlefields.

Christina Hart received William’s personal effects, photos and letters, a broken wristwatch and a ring. By the time that medals were distributed Christina advised the authorities that her husband had died. William had become one of over 10,000 Australians who lost their lives in France and had no known grave. His name appears on the limestone tablets at the Australian National Memorial at Villers Brettoneux which was dedicated by the newly crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) in 1938.

William's parents were John Hart and Christina McNeven. His occupation is listed as a labourer and living at North Pine when he enlisted on 26 October 1915. William was killed in action. William's younger brother Robert enlisted but was discharged due to being a person in essential services.