William Alexander MCDONALD

William Alexander MCDONALD Update Details

If you confirm that you want to proceed with the update, this record will be locked for editing by all other users until you have finished. You will have 7 days to complete your changes before they will be automatically submitted.

Do you want to proceed?

MCDONALD, William Alexander

Service Numbers:	78, 4844
Enlisted:	Not yet discovered
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	9th Infantry Battalion
Born:	Surat, Queensland, Australia, 15 February 1878
Home Town:	Stanthorpe, Southern Downs, Queensland
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Telegraph Line Keeper
Died:	Caboolture, Queensland, Australia, 16 May 1952, aged 74 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery:	Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Plot: MON-RC1-24-42
Memorials:

Boer War Service

1 Oct 1899:	Involvement Private, 78, 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry
13 Jan 1900:	Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 78, 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 457 notes 2nd QMI embarked 13 Jan 1900 aboard Maori King arriving Cape Town 24 Feb 1900.
17 May 1901:	Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 78, 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry, National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier- notes returned to Australia aboard Tongariro arriving Brisbane 3 May 1901, discharged 17 May 1901

World War 1 Service

28 Mar 1916:	Embarked Private, 4844, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Commonwealth, Brisbane
28 Mar 1916:	Involvement Private, 4844, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: ''

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

Biography contributed by Claude McKelvey

Also served in WW1, Private S.N. 4844, 9th Infantry Battalion, AIF.

It is noted at various stages his surname on records interchanged between McDonald and MacDonald.

When he enlisted for the South African (Boer) War in 1900 and his details were published with the rank and file in The Queenslander, 20 Jan 1900, he noted he was single and gave his address as, police station, Stanthorpe. He is recorded on the original nominal roll for the 2nd Queensland Contingent and Boer War Dossier, held by National Archives, and in the Boer War Service Paybooks for the 2nd QMI, with the surname MacDonald.

He enlisted again in 1915 for WW1 with the surname McDonald and on his Attestation Paper, dated 9 Sep 1915, it is noted that; he was born at Surat and was 37 years 6 months of age; he was married with 2 children under 16 years of age and was working as a telegraph line keeper; his N.O.K. was his wife Mrs. Sarah McDonald, Inglewood; and that he had previously served for 1 year 107 days in South Africa.

William Alexander McDonald was born on 16 Feb 1878 at Surat, Queensland, a son to Alexander McDonald and Nora Mary McDonald (nee O'Keeffe). He married Sarah Margaret Clifford (nee Tevlin) in Queensland and they had 2 children.

(source- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 461; National Archives Australia- B 5172 Nominal Roll of 2nd Queensland Contingent Queensland Defence Force for service in South Africa, p. 1; National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier; Qld State Archives- Boer War Service Paybooks 2nd QMI, Bk 1 p. 86; National Archives Australia- WW1 service record).

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia