Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Henry Cameron was born on 28th July 1893 at Mackay QLD, the second eldest child of six children born to his parents William and Margaret Cameron.  His older brother was Andrew with 2 younger sisters Irene and Mabel.  Twin girls were born in 1901 but sadly died.  After completing his education William became an ambulance bearer with the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade. 

When WW1 broke out William was one of the first to enlist on 28th August 1914 aged 21 at the Enoggera Army Camp in Brisbane.  His service number was 54, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 3rd Field Ambulance (3FA), A Section.  He’s described as being 5ft 8ins tall with a fair complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair.  After completing his training at Enoggera Camp he embarked on HMAT Rangatira from Brisbane on the 25th September 1914 and the ship sailed for Egypt with the 1st Convoy from Albany WA on 1st November 1914.  The unit disembarked at Alexandria on 9th December 1914 and proceeded to Mena Camp outside Cairo.  They remained there until 2nd March 1915 when they embarked from Alexandria on HMAT Malda.  The boat anchored in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island on 6th March then a month later, in preparation for the landings at Gallipoli, William along with A Section of 3FA transhipped to HMS Nizam.  On the 24th April the unit transhipped to the HMAT Devanha and then to the Destroyer HMS Ribble which arrived off shore of Anzac Cove in the early hours of the 25th.  The unit disembarked into tow boats and went ashore under heavy fire at 4.30am with the first wave landing just north of Anzac Cove.  William with A Section, under the command of Captain Lyle Buchanan, went ashore in the second tow at 5am under heavy fire.  The following is a quote by Captain Buchanan describing the landing:

“I don’t know what it was, shrapnel, maxim or rifle fire - I was frightened to look, but I was never so frightened in my life as when I had to stand up in the bow to dominate the men (to keep rowing)... I could feel the damned things hitting me all the time in my imagination, while we couldn’t see the other boats for the spouts of spray all around, and the men hit yelped and then whined and clawed the air as they died.”

During the day on the 25th Captain Buchanan with A Section established a Collecting Post for the wounded near Fisherman’s Hut on North Beach.  By the end of the first day the casualties for the whole unit were 2 killed, 18 wounded and 4 missing.  Two days later Buchanan with A Section established a Dressing Station at the head of Monash Valley. 

On 18th June 1915 William sustained a gunshot wound to the right forearm and was admitted the hospital ship HMHS Gascon and evacuated to Egypt where he was admitted to 1st Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis.  After convalescing he re-joined his unit at Gallipoli on 26th August 1915.  In early October he spent 3 days in hospital with influenza.  He remained on the Gallipoli peninsula for the duration of the campaign before being evacuated with the last of the troops on 23rd December 1915 on HMAT Caledonia.  William proceeded to Tel-el-Kebir Camp on 28th December and remained there till 27th March 1916 when the unit embarked from Alexandria on HMT Kingstonian bound for France.

Also serving in the 3rd Field Ambulance was my grandfather, Cyril Morsley.  He kept a diary and the following is an extract from his diary on the 30th March 1916 documenting what happened during the voyage.

“Retired at 7.30pm.  All lights out, etc.  At 9.15pm I heard the cry “Man Overboard!” and the steam hooter on the funnel made an awful din.  It appears that Fennell (Private P.E.R. 2252) walked in his sleep and walked over the rail.  The Sentry saw him and shouted.  We went full steam astern, lowered a boat and a buoy etc. but did not recover his body.  Continued on with the journey by 9.45pm.”

William and the 3rd Field Ambulance disembarked on the 3rd April at Marseilles, France, and entrained there on a 3 day journey.  They disembarked at Godewaersvelde then marched to a village called Pradelles where the unit was billeted in a farmhouse and barn. 

On 6th May 1916 William was admitted to the 3FA with pulmonary tuberculosis and transferred to the 7th Casualty Clearing Station (7CCS) at Merville the next day.  Five days later he was transferred by Hospital Train 23 to hospital at Wimereux.  Twelve days later he was transferred to No. 5 Convalescent Camp at Wimereux and discharged 3 weeks later.  He then proceeded to the 1st Australian Details Base at Etaples and a few days later was attached to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion where he remained till 9th September 1916 then he re-joined the 3FA in Belgium.  The unit moved back to France in October.

On 11th November 1916, while serving at the 1st Anzac Rest Station at Buire, the camp was bombed by the enemy.  The following is recorded in the Unit Diary:

“At 00.40 this morning an enemy aeroplane flying low, dropped 6 bombs on the 1st Anzac Rest Station.  Five patients were killed outright, thirty three wounded more or less seriously and three slightly.  Of the personnel at this station one was killed, four seriously wounded and one slightly wounded.  All of these belonged to No. 3 Australian Field Ambulance.  One bomb was dropped on the Orderly Room, destroying a number of the records of the station and of the unit.  Damage was done to four marquee tents and eight bell tents.  The distinguishing lamps were burning brightly at the time the attack was made.” 

My grandfather Cyril also records this event in his diary:

“Was in full swing with Medicals - Taubes overhead and shrapnel bursting all around.  Bombed our camp and at 2 o’clock…poor McNeil was brought in nearly dead - grasped on my arm.  Later Staff Sergeant Bannister came in with fractured femur and buttock blown off.  Sergeant Roy Elliott was killed and 8 others.  Patients many, 36 wounded, I dressed most, some very serious…Corporal Grieves and Baxter.  4 o’clock 2 Germans - 1 Lieutenant & Sergeant Major - walked in and gave up as prisoners, burst of machine gun about 1klm away.” 

From Cyril’s diary the following day:

“Gas helmets on.  Germans are after our dump of ammunition with gas shells nearby apparently & they will blow us up yet!  Staff Sergeant Bannister died tonight 7pm.  ‘Dad’ (one of the Drs) had just visited him…hip gone and split nearly in halves.  I saw him as he died – I saluted and left sad.  Three of our men gone now.”

On 3rd June 1917 William was promoted to Lance Corporal.  The unit moved throughout France from January to September 1917 then moved back to Belgium for the remainder of the year. 

in mid-January 1918 William took leave to England then in mid-March 1918 he was detached from 3FA to attend Medical School for 10 days.  In early April he was transferred to the AIF headquarters and returned to Australia on HMAT Borda for staff approval. 

On 4th September 1918 William re-embarked from Sydney on HMAT Bakara with the 6th Queensland Reinforcements and during the voyage was admitted to hospital for 2 weeks with colic.  He disembarked at London on 14th November 1918 and proceeded to No. 5 Training Battalion at Fovant Camp on the Salisbury Plain.  A month later he embarked for return to Australia on HMAT Burmah on duty for the voyage.  He disembarked at Melbourne on 29th January 1919 and then sailed to Brisbane on HMAT Karoola.  He was discharged on 25th February 1919. 

On 3rd June 1920 William married Ellen Robb Williams at the Sarina Methodist Church QLD.  They welcomed 3 sons…William 1921, Cyril 1924 and Alan 1930.  The family lived in the Sarina area till the late 1920s and during this time William worked as a dairyman.  The family lived at Carmilla till the late 1930s and William worked as an assistant cane inspector.  From the late 1930s till the early 1960s they lived at Sarina again and William worked as a cane inspector. 

On 12th April 1942 William enlisted for WW2 at Sarina aged 48.  His service number was Q215002, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 15th Battalion of the Volunteer Defence Corps.  He was promoted to Acting Corporal on 30th November 1943 and was discharged on 21st October 1945. 

From 1963 till 1972 William lived in Mackay.  He passed away on 8th April 1972 at Sarina aged 82 having outlived his wife and his 2 eldest sons.  He was buried in the Sarina Cemetery QLD. 

William is commemorated on the Farleigh Mill Honour Board and the Mackay Old Town Hall Honour Board. 

William Henry Cameron was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.  For 3 years’ service with the VDC in WW2 William was awarded the Australia Service Medal. 

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 15th November 2022.