William James ATKINS

William James ATKINS Update Details

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ATKINS, William James

Service Number:	184
Enlisted:	Not yet discovered
Last Rank:	Sergeant
Last Unit:	12th Infantry Battalion
Born:	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 1895
Home Town:	Launceston, Launceston, Tasmania
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Cabinet Maker
Died:	Killed in Action, Pozieres, France, 24 July 1916
Cemetery:	No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Launceston Cenotaph, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France)

World War 1 Service

20 Oct 1914:	Involvement Lance Corporal, 184, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: ''
20 Oct 1914:	Embarked Lance Corporal, 184, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Hobart
24 Jul 1916:	Involvement Sergeant, 184, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 184 awm_unit: 12th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1916-07-24

Help us honour William James Atkins's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts

Son of William Cooper and Marion ATKINS

Biography contributed by Evan Evans

From Janine Wilson
World War One - Not Just a Name on a Headstone.

Sgt WILLIAM JAMES ATKINS
Service Number: 184
Rank: Sergeant
Unit: 12th Australian Infantry Battalion
Service: Australian Army
Enlisted: 2nd September 1914
Date of death: 24th July 1916
Place of death: Somme, France
Cause of death: Killed in action
Age at death: 21 years

Cemetery or memorial details: Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France
William James Atkins was born 2 November 1894 at Macquarie Plains, eldest son of William Cooper Atkins and Marion Spencer. William Snr, an engine driver married Marion on 1 September 1893 in Oatlands. In 1914 the family were living at 30 William Street, Launceston.

William Jnr enlisted in the AIF on 2 September 1914 at Pontville, he was 19 years and 9 months of age and he listed his occupation as a cabinet maker. He was 5'5" tall, with fair complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. His religion was listed as Church of England and he listed his next of kin as his father William Cooper Atkins.

He departed Hobart on 20 October 1914 per HMAT A2 "Geelong". On 26 July 1915 at ANZAC Cove he received a bullet wound to his left hand ring finger and then re-joined his unit back at ANZAC Cove 17 September 1915. He was then moved on and arrived in France on 5 April 1916 and was killed in action on 24 July 1916 at Poziers. His remains were never located, so at the end of the war he was memorialized at the Viller-Bretonneux Memorial at Picardie in France.

He is also memorialized at Carr Villa on his father's headstone in Section E, grave 251
Death Notice was in the Examiner Newspaper on 19 August 1916 and read:
ATKINS - Killed in action in France, on 24th July, Sergeant William James Atkins, eldest son of William Cooper and Marion Atkins of 16 Douglas St, Invermay, Launceston. Aged 21 years and 9 months. "For King and country"
His father received his medals, Memorial Scroll and Memorial Plaque.

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War Memorial
Australia