ABEL, William Thomas
| Service Number: | 1195 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 July 1915, Claremont, Tasmania |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 30th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 7 June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Hutchins School, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Bank clerk |
| Died: | Natural causes, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 17 September 1944, aged 47 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cornelian Bay Cemetery and Crematorium, Tasmania C of E HH 275 |
| Memorials: | Hobart Roll of Honour, Tasmania (Hobart) Garden of Remembrance, Tasmanian Football League Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1195, 30th Infantry Battalion, Claremont, Tasmania | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1195, 30th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1195, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Beltana, Sydney | |
| 16 Feb 1921: | Discharged AIF WW1, Corporal, 1195, 30th Infantry Battalion |
William Abel WW1
William Abel enlisted with two other young Tasmanians, Vernon Drake and Henry Hodgson, in July 1915 and all three were transferred to Sydney to join the 30th battalion, 8th Brigade, 5th Australian Infantry Force (AIF) Division.
After training in Egypt and then garrison duty in Marseilles, the 30th Division was transferred to the Western Front in late June 2016.
On 19/20 July 1916 the 30th battalion took part in the disastrous Battle of Fromelles where almost 2,000 Australians were killed. The three young Tasmanians were attached to A Company which was responsible for digging a new communications trench across No Man's Land. Both Vernon Drake and Henry Hodgson were wounded at Fromelles, however William Abel escaped the battle unscathed.
William Abel was wounded in the leg by machine gun fire during a raid on the German trenches at Morlancourt in France in June 1918. He was evacuated to hospital in England for treatment and returned to Tasmania in 1919.
William Abel died in 1944 and is buried at Cornelian Bay Cemetary in Hobart.
Submitted 27 October 2022 by Brent Knevett
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