Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Frederick Bollinger was known as Bill. He was born in 1870 in Forbes in New South Wales. His NSW  registered birth name is recorded as Frederick William Bollinger.

However, he reversed the order of his given names to be known alliteratively as Bill Bollinger. He was the son of Emmanuel and Louisa Bollinger. Bill worked for the Bank of New South Wales and became a Commercial Traveller. He made his way to the Goldfields of Western Australia in the 1890's. He knew that it was better in the long term to sell things to miners as opposed to being a propector. For he knew the gold mining business because Forbes was established and bommed because of Gold in 1861. That boom and bust was now long over. Hence he migrated to the Kalgoolie Goldfields. There were many 'othersiders' on the Kalgoolie Goldfields that time. For there was a depression over East plus the shearers were striking. 

Bill was patriotic and rendered militia service in the Boulder Rifles. Then when the newspapers announced that War in the Transvaal had began. For the Boer had attacked the British Empire. Hence Bill volunteered to fight for the British Empire. He knew that it would be a certain victory once Empire Troops arrived in strength.

Likewise he knew that many of the Uitlanders on the Witwatersrand when hostities began were Australian goldminers. Hence the certainity of a quick victory coupled with his commercial experience meant that he may have had post war employment in mind. Prehaps commercial work on the Witwatersrand Goldfields. We will never know that because Bill did not survive.

For that certain quick victory he believed proved to be a very long and pyyrhic one. In more ways that one. CPL Bill Bollinger 5WAMI was WIA. He subsequently died of his wounds on 18 May 1901. Lest We Forget.