Gosford District Casualties of World War One

Anderson, William Andrew Service Number 701

Killed in Action 12th October 1917 Passchendale Ridge, Belgium

Gosford City Council gratefully acknowledges the voluntary efforts of

Benalyn Campbell

And Vivienne Tranter

in compiling this resource

The information in this file has been extracted from official records

held in the

The Australian War Memorial and

National Archives of Australia

(© Commonwealth of Australia [National Archives of Australia] 2013)

Further information on this soldier may be found online at:

Commonwealth War Graves

The AIF project

Content advisory: This file may potentially contain disturbing accounts of service-related injury and death, disease and family grief. Adult supervision is recommended for children

using these resources. Individual files should be viewed within the context

provided by wider research on service conditions in the 1st AIF.

This resource is presented by Gosford City Council

for research purposes only. Please note that copyright for resources

contained within remains with the original copyright owners.

NAME Anderson, William Andrew

SERVICE NO 701

UNIT 36th Battalion, “C” Coy

RANK Private

AGE at Enlistment 37 yrs 4 mths

PLACE OF BIRTH Sydney, NSW

ADDRESS “Edith” Victoria Pde., Granville

OCCUPATION Horse Driver

DATE OF ENLISTMENT 20 Jan 1916

PLACE OF ENLIST-MENT

Liverpool, NSW

PREVIOUS SERVICE

NEXT OF KIN Wife- Mrs Ellen Maude Anderson “Edith” Victoria Pde., Granville

PHYSICAL DESCRIP-TION

Height;- 5’ 7”, Weight;- 132 lbs, Chest Measurement, 34-37, Complexion;- Dark, Eyes;- Blue, Hair;-Grey. Scar under chin

RELIGION C/E

EMBARKED Sydney 13 May 1916 per Beltana

DISEMBARKED Plymouth 9 Jul 1916

NOTES

WOUNDED/ILLNESS 14 Jun 1917- Gun Shot Wound to right leg. Belgium

16 Aug 1917 rejoined unit 36th Btn

13 Oct 1917 – MIA Belgium

DIED 12 Oct 1917-Passchendale Ridge

BURIED

MEDALS British War Medal-38743, Victory Medal-38430. Memorial Plaque & Scroll-342439.

DEPENDANTS 4 children

PERSONAL EFFECTS Razor, Razor strop, Razor Hone, electric torch, handkerchief.

WILL witnesses H Ikin, Bertram St Mortlake, Sydney (Mercer) & C W Quinn- Coota-mundra, (Engineer)

CORRESPONDENCE

REMARKS Wife remarried- Mrs Rogers. Between 28/2/22 & 22/3/23

RED CROSS REPORT Informant Pte. Jas Isaac Woods1878 36th C Coy. Bath War Hospital, Bristol

12.4.1918

“Anderson & 4 others of the 36th were sheltering in a German shell hole on

Passchendale Ridge when a German shell fell right in the midst killing the lot. They were all buried in the shell hole they died in.” Same Informant stated on 14.6.1918 @ above

“Anderson was in a Lewis Gun Team & about 9 am on October 4th was blown

to pieces by a shell.” Red Cross records also contain a note dated 22/6/1917 from Pte F Bellia (7209) A Coy 1

st Tng Btn. No 7 Camp, Lark Hill. Sailsbury Plain. requesting

info on Anderson. Reply dated 9/7/1917 stated Anderson reported wounded June 9

th & admitted to Convalescent Camp France on 15

th June. Further re-

plies informing of the death of Anderson

GOSFORD TIMES 28.5.1915. Private Anderson, whose death is reported at the Darden-elles, is a nephew of Mr E.S. Cox, who lost his only two sons in Egypt some few months ago .

GOSFORD TIMES 20.12.1917. Now stated that Private William Anderson of Gosford, is

not dead. He was reported killed on 3rd

September. Let-

ters have just been received from him dated from 11th to

15th September.

GOSFORD TIMES 25.4.1918. KILLED IN ACTION. During the week Mrs J. J. Parry, of Erina, received

word that her brother, Private Will Anderson, of the

36th Battalion, had been killed in action. He was

reported missing on October 12 1917. Private

Anderson left Sydney on 13th May, 1916, with Car-

michael’s Battalion. He leaves a wife and four little

children. Mrs Parry has also been advised that her

son, Private W. Parry, has been dangerously ill with

pneumonia, but is now convalescent. Her eldest

son is in Randwick Hospital undergoing treatment

for his wounded arm, and is getting along well.

GOSFORD TIMES 25.4.1918 ROLL OF HONOR.

ANDERSON.- Previously reported missing, 12th

October, 1917, now reported killed in action. Pri-

vate Will Anderson, 36th Battalion, dearly loved

brother of (Mrs) J.J. Parry, Erina.

He answered to his Country’s call, For sons to

guard her shores; In honour’s name he gave his

all, A man can do no more.

GOSFORD TIMES 16.5.1918 Mrs J. J. Parry, of Erina, received word on Saturday

that her brother-in-law, Signaller Frank Belia, had

been killed in France on 17th April last. He left Syd-

ney on the 10th February, 1917. A Wife and three

little children are left to mourn his loss. It is only three

weeks since Mrs Parry was notified that her brother,

Private W. Anderson, had been killed in France after

being posted missing for six months. A son, Private

W. J. Perry, has been invalided home, having been

dangerously ill with pneumonia.

GOSFORD TIMES 23.5.1918 Private W. J. Anderson, of Gosford, is reported ill in hospital. Last year he was officially reported dead, and his memorial photo was on view in a local shop window for months.

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged records courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged records courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged records courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged records courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343

Abridged record courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 1987343