William Thomas Saunders

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Sun, 23/10/2016 - 15:19

First Name:

William

Middle Name:

Thomas

Last Name:

Saunders

Mother's Name:

Elizabeth Saunders nee Riley

Father's Name:

Thomas Saunders

Date Enlisted:

Wednesday, August 16, 1916

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Rank at Discharge:

Lance Corporal

Unit:

Machine Gun Battalion 9

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Wednesday, August 19, 1959

Place of Death:

Concord Hospital, N.S.W.

Details:

William Saunders (Service No 515) was born in Lithgow , N.S.W in 1894.

At enlistment, William was single, 21 years old, worked as a miner, and lived at Helensburgh, N.S.W. William had served in the Senior Cadets and 3 years in 37th Infantry Militia.

He embarked from Melbourne on HMAT A70 Ballarat with Machine Gun Company 9, 7th Reinforcements, on 19th February 1917. The troops arrived in England on 26th April 1917 and William joined the Machine Gun Company in France on 29th August 1917.

William was wounded in action at Passchendaele on 12th October 1917 and admitted to hospital in Belgium with shell shock. He returned to his unit on 27th October and served on the Western Front.

He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 24th February 1918.

William's war ended on 18th April 1918 when he was wounded a second time and evacuated to hospital in England for treatment of serious gassing.

He was returned to Australia in April 1919 and discharged.

In 1920 William married Rose Watson at Helensburgh and the couple had one child.

He died in Concord Hospital in 1959 and is buried in Rookwood Cemetery.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, SAUNDERS WILLIAM THOMAS