GRIFFITHS, William Morgan
| Service Number: | 1814 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 6th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kangaroo Flat, Victoria, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Kangaroo Flat, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Postal Department |
| Died: | Western Sydney, NSW, 11 October 1970, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Bridgewater Memorial Hall & Honour Roll, Hawthorn Postmaster General's Department Victoria 1, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 1814 | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 1915: | Involvement Sapper, 1814, 1st Signal Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Sep 1915: | Embarked Sapper, 1814, 1st Signal Company Engineers, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne | |
| 1 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, 6th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 6th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Elsa Reuter
GRIFFITHS William Morgan 1814 T/SGT
6th Battalion - 1st Division Signal Company
1896-1970
William Morgan Griffiths was born at Kangaroo Flat, a suburb of Bendigo, in 1896. His parents, Thomas and Ellen (née Ashcroft) Griffiths had nine children. Thomas died in 1905.
On 22 July 1915 when he was only 19 years old Will enlisted at Melbourne. His mother, as next of kin, gave her consent. He had been working with the Postal Department as a Mail Branch Assistant from where he was granted leave without pay to enlist in the army. He was probably working at the Violet Town Post Office at the time, which is the reason there was a memorial tree planted in his memory in 1917.
Four months after his enlistment during which there would have been some initial training, he embarked from Melbourne on 9 November 1915 for Egypt. Landing at Alexandria, he spent a month training at Serapeum and then in March 1916, embarked from Alexandria to Marseilles with the 6th Battalion.
The Battalion’s first major action in France was at Pozieres in July 1916. It was on this day that Will was wounded, not seriously as he was able to remain on duty. Not long after he had leave in England. In October he was promoted to the rank of CPL. Two months later he was in hospital with scabies.
After further training at Sutton Veny he returned to action in France. The Battalion took part in the Allied offensive, launched near Amiens on 8 August 1918. During this time Will was wounded in his right thigh; this time more seriously. He was invalided to England where he was admitted to the Fort Pitt Military Hospital at Chatham, then on to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford.
Just before returning home he was promoted to the rank of Temporary Sergeant. He remained England until his return to Australia aboard the HS Karagola arriving in Melbourne on 12 June 1919.
Will was discharged on 4 August 1919.
After his discharge he returned to his previous job with the Postal Department and was promoted to Post Master at Oakleigh, Victoria. In 1925 he married Lola Westlake and had a family of three sons.
He died on 11 October 1970 in Western Sydney. It is not known in what cemetery he is interred.
Tree No 56 - a Grevillea robusta - Silky Oak, was planted in 1917 Mr A Dickenson. It was still standing in 2013.
© 2016 Sheila Burnell
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