Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Second Corporal W. J Heuston 538 

William Joseph Heuston would enlist in Melbourne on December 15, 1916. At the time he was stationed at Port Melbourne with the Victoria Railways working as either a Fireman (on his enlistment paper) or as storeman (reported in local newspaper & other AIF records). 

His elder brother Jack (John Hague Heuston) had returned ill from the Gallipoli campaign earlier that year in late April, 1916. As with Jack, William lists his father (also William) as his NOK (Nearest of Kin) residing at 13 Plumridge street, White Hills. 

William enlists with his brother-in-law Herbert Felstead who has already served in Gallipoli and returned home just 6 months earlier with a serious GSW to the hand. Both work on the railways and here is their chance to put their skills to good use at the front.

William and Herbert sign on with the Railway Recruitment and are allocated to the First Australian Light Railway Company, second section which is sent to train at Royal Park, Melbourne from December until mid February 1917.  Wlliam must have shown leadership potential as he is promoted to Second Corporal on February 14, just five days before the unit would embark for the westernfront.

Their journey to war would be more dangerous than most other AIF soldiers. They depart on the troopship HMAT Ballarat A70 on February 19, 1917. (see photo)  After a long journey of nearly three months at sea the Ballarat is torpedoed just off the English coast on Anzac day, 1917.

The Bendigo Advertiser reports in July 1917 -  "Letters were received by the mail on the 25th June from Corporal W. J. Heuston and Herbert C. Felstead, son and son-in-law respectively of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Heuston, of White Hills, who enlisted in the Railway Unit, and left on 19th February, 1917, with the troopship Ballarat, which was torpedoed and sunk on the day of the Anzac celebration.

Corporal Heuston stated: "We arrived in England safe and well, after our experiences on the Ballarat. We were treated O.K. by the sailors on board a warship, also in Devonport naval barracks. We had a very exciting experience in being torpedoed near England's shores, but, thank God, every man on board was saved. Only the old boat went down, 14 hours after she was hit. I lost everything bar the uniform I stood in. Felstead and I are quite safe, so there is no need to worry about us. It was just like as if all the boys were going ashore on leave. There was absolutely no panic or bustle; we were picked up by four torpedo boat destroyers.

After our 'S.O.S.' went up we had seaplanes from France in less than a quarter of an hour. We are now in camp at Borden, 41 miles from London, and housed in good huts. It was hard on us after nine weeks and three days to get a smack on Anzac Day—25/4/17—at 2 p.m., and we were well off at 4 p.m. The German submarine boat got caught two hours later and sent to 'kingdom come' or somewhere else by the seaplane from France. We have been treated like heroes. We were the first Australian transport for the war going direct from Australia to get struck." 

Mrs. Heuston also had a nephew on the same boat, Private W. Bottomley. Corporal W. J. Heuston, prior to enlisting was employed at the Bendigo railway sheds, and later as storeman at Maryborough and Port Melbourne, where he enlisted".

So with just the clothes he was wearing, William reaches port on the rescue ships at Devonport naval barracks on the Cornish coast, South west England. According to AIF Railway historians, the unit would then head to the Royal Engineers' Railway Training Centre at Longmoor, staying at the nearby Bordon Army Camp.

William and his unit including his Brother in law Herbert would proceed overseas to France from the port of Southampton arriving May 30, 1917.

Locomotive drivers and engineers from the light railway operating companies performed admirable service by bringing supplies of war material from the standard gauge railheads up to the forward lines.

Earlier in February 1917, Anzac Corps engineers opened the Albert-Posieres-Le Sars main road to traffic but estimated that it would require 2,500 tonnes of road metal per mile to keep it open, whereas only 300 tonnes were on hand.

Anzac Light Railways, a new unit formed in December 1916 to operate and maintain the tramways, were increasingly important form of transport in the forward area, set to work extending the network. By May 1917 the Anzac Light Railways was hauling 558 tonnes daily.                                                                           (source - https://sites.google.com/site/archoevidence/home/ww1-victorian-railways-unit)

While the steam locomotives hauled supplies from the railheads, haulage to the forward lines was done by petrol locomotives that took over from the steam locomotives at distribution points some distance behind the front. In forward areas, steam locomotives were far too visible to enemy observation (steam and smoke by day and glowing fire by night). Even the petrol locomotives did not extend their operations right to the front lines. Hand worked ‘trench tramways’ served here.                                                             (source - https://sites.google.com/site/archoevidence/home/ww1-victorian-railways-unit)

After 6 months in service in France in the Railway Unit, William would suffer his first bout of illness in November, 1917. He would spend two weeks in the Bolounge Military Hospital in Western France. He would transfer back to the Australian General Base Depot (AGBD) in the Roulles Valley at Havre and rejoin his Unit in late March, 1918.

In May, he is in and out of hospital again being discharged back to his unit in early June, 1918. July was spent back in the service of the Railway unit however, he would back in hospital in August as the war is grinding towards armistice in November. He is transferred back to The Australian General Army Depot carrying out the duties of the higher rank of Corporal in December. He would spend another Christmas and New Year in cold wintry Northern France.

Finally, he is transferred to the First Railway Corp in mid May,1919 at Havre on the east coast of France to begin the long journey home. It is probably here, that he receives word from his family that his older Jack (J H Heuston) has passed away back in White Hills from Rheumatism which he suffered greatly from in his service.   

On May 10, 1919, William is back in England landing on the south coast at Southampton and then proceeding to the Number 2 Depot at the Australian Base at Sutton Veny, near Codford, in the county of Warminster, 45 miles inland from Southampton.

It would be another frustrating 6 weeks before a passage back to Australia becomes available on June 21, 1919. William would embark onboard on the German built ship SS Konigin Luise. Following the Armistice, this ship was allocated as war reparations to the UK Government, and was surrendered to the UK Shipping Controller on 10 April 1919. She would be allocated to the Orient Steam Navigation Company to return soldiers to Australia.

The ship departed from Devonport, England, carrying William and over 2,300 Australian troops returning home, including Victoria Cross winner James Park Woods. She would reach land in Australia at Fremantle (see photo of jubulant AIF troops alighting at Fremantle) then sailing on to Port Melbourne landing on August 13, 1919.

 Second Corporal William Joseph Heuston is remembered by the people of White Hills. The names of the local lads who sacrificed their lives and those that were fortunate to return from the Great War are shown on the embossed copper plaques on the White Hills Arch of Triumph, at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens.