ANDERSON, William Howard
| Service Number: | 4548 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Gundagai, Gundagai, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 9 August 1916, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Pozières British Cemetery Grave IV. S. 8., Pozieres British Cemetery Ovillers-La Boisselle, Pozieres, Picardie, France, Puchevillers British Cemetery, Puchevillers, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gundagai Anzac Grove War Memorial, Gundagai War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Richmond War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 4548, 1st Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Osterley embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 4548, 1st Infantry Battalion, RMS Osterley, Sydney | |
| 9 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 4548, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4548 awm_unit: 45 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-08-09 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
William Howard Young ANDERSON, (Service Number 4548) was born on 10 May 1994 near Albury. He began work for the NSW Railways as a probationer in the Traffic Branch on 16 Dec 1909, in the Junee District, though within a year he had moved to Sydney as a junior porter and became porter on his twenty-first birthday.
During the time he was employed in Sydney, Anderson was also a member of a Militia unit - the 41st Blue Mountains Infantry. In September 1915 he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces. His next of kin was given as his father, Frederick, who was at that time Sergeant of Police at Gundagai. For some reason Anderson enlisted in Melbourne. After training he travelled to Europe, disembarked at Marseilles, and served in France where he was killed ‘in the field’ on 9 August 1916. He is buried in the British Cemetery, Pozières in plot 4, Row S, Grave 8.
Later the military authorities tried to contact Frederick Anderson to deliver a commemorative plaque and his son’s medals. Inspector Anderson had retired to Hurstville by this time, as had been learned by the authorities after prolonged correspondence with Gundagai police and then with the NSW Police Force in Sydney. The parcel with the items was returned, marked ‘refused’. Whether this suggests some anguish on the part of Anderson’s father can only be guessed.
The military authorities were also anxious to obtain from the family the inscription desired on the headstone of the grave. This was limited to 66 characters, including spaces, and cost 3½d per letter.
(NAA B2455 1987403)
Submitted 9 May 2023 by John Oakes