BLAMEY, William James
| Service Numbers: | 455, 455A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Probus, Cornwall, England, 1877 |
| Home Town: | Albert Park, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 4 July 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery Plot III, Row C, Grave No. 8 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 455, 11th Machine Gun Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 455, 11th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 6 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 455, 11th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Orsova, Melbourne | |
| 4 Jul 1918: | Involvement Private, 455A, 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 455A awm_unit: 3rd Australian Machine Gun Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-07-04 |
Help us honour William James Blamey's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Born in Cornwall, William migrated to Australia when he was 9 years of age and later enlisted at the age of 39 in June 1916 while working as a miner at Mt Morgan in Queensland. He went to France as a reinforcement for the 11th Machine Gun Company. After being transferred to the Third Machine Gun Battalion as a Vickers gunner he was wounded, gassed by a gas shell and suffered from shell shock. After he recovered from this in hospital, a month later (on 4th July 1918) he was killed by shellfire in the Battle of Le Hamel (also called Hamel). This was a very successful attack by the Australians, who suffered much lower casualties than usual, so one might say that he was particularly unlucky to be killed. Initially he was buried in the Le Hamel area but his grave was subsequently lost and he is remembered on the memorial to the missing at Villers Bretonneux.
One brother Norman Henry Blamey was killed during the landing battles at Gallipoli and another Sydney Blamey won the MM.
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Australian Machine Gun Corps 3rd Bn.
Son of William James and Cecelia Blamey.
Births Jun 1877 BLAMEY William James Truro 5c 142
Next of kin
Sister, Mrs Norah Harrison, c/o Mrs Gregory, Culcairn, New South Wales
Previous military service
6th Commonwealth Horse, South Africa (120 days)
Enlistment date 23 June 1916
Place of enlistment Rockhampton, Queensland Private
Machine Gun Company 11, Reinforcement 6
Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A67 Orsova on 6 December 1916-he was then 39.
War service: Western Front
Embarked Melbourne, 6 December 1916; disembarked Plymouth, England, 17 February 1917; marched into Australian Details, Perham Downs, 18 February 1917.
Marched out of Australian Details, 23 February 1917; marched into Machine Gun Training Depot, Grantham, 24 February 1917.
Admitted to isolation, 24 February 1917.
Proceeded overseas to France, 24 April 1917; marched into Machine Gun Base Depot, Camiers, 25 April 1917.
Proceeded to unit, 13 June 1917; marched into Convalescent Camp, 14 June 1917; proceeded to unit, 15 June 1917; taken on strength of 11th Machine Gun Company, in the field, 17 June 1917.
Marched into Bde Detention Room, 2 November 1917; rejoined unit, 8 November 1917.
Admitted to No 10 Australian Field Ambulance, 7 February 1918 (scabies); transferred to No 9 Australian Field Ambulance (Divisional Rest Station), 7 February 1918; discharged, 15 February 1918, and rejoined unit the same day.
On leave, 27 February 1918; rejoined unit, 16 March 1918.
Wounded in action, 26 May 1918; admitted to No 47 Casualty Clearing Station, 28 May 1918 (gassed); discharged, 12 June 1918, and rejoined unit the same day.