William Wright Casterton MM
From Our Contribution
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth |
unknown "unknown" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Birth | Basford, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Death | May 1987 |
| Place of Death | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Age at Enlistment | 23 years, 7 months |
| Description |
5'10¼" (1.78m) tall ; 151 lbs 68.492 kg ; fresh complexion ; blue eyes ; fair hair |
| Occupation | Police Constable |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Address | Armadale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr James Casterton (in UK) |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2315 |
| Date of Enlistment | 19 Jun 1916 |
| Rank | Lance Sergeant |
| Unit/Formation | 44th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement /11th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 13 Oct 1916 ‒ 12 Dec 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A39 Port Macquarie |
| Date of Return | 12 Dec 1918 ‒ 18 Jan 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | HMAT A71 Nestor |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 8 Jun 1917 at Messines Wounded in Action 4 Jul 1918 at Hamel Returned to Australia |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (West Armadale panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour |
| Medals |
Military Medal British War Medal Victory Medal |
War Service
Four months after enlisting he travelled to England where he spent another two months in a training battalion before he embarked on the HMT Invicta for France. He joined his front line unit, the 44th Battalion, in France on 8 Feb 1917.
On 8 Jun 1917 at Ploegsteert he was gassed and after treatment by the 9th Field Ambulance and the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station, he was admitted to 7th General Hospital at St Omer before being transferred to the 7th Convalescent Depot in Boulogne. He returned to his battalion on 1 Sep 1917.
Promoted Corporal in Apr 1918 and then Lance Sergeant on 27 Jun 1918. On 4 Jul 1918 during an attack on Hamel, Bill was wounded a second time, receiving GSWs to his right shoulder, leg, wrist & head. Initial treatment was provided by 4th Australian Field Ambulance and the 5th Casualty Clearing Station prior to him being transferred to 9th General Hospital in Rouen. Stabilised, he was prepared for boarding HMHS St Patrick and evacuated to England on 8 Jul 1918 where he was admitted to the Canadian Red Cross Hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.
On the road to recovery, he was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Dartford from 26 Aug - 18 Sep 1918 before being granted leave. On 2 Oct 1918 he was well enough to move to Weymouth where he prepared for a return to Australia at No. 2 Command Depot.
He was discharged on 5 March 1919.
The 320th Casualty List contains Williams name as one who was wounded in action at Messines and the 420th Casualty List advises of his wounding in the battle for Hamel.
On 17 Jun 1919, he joined the Special AIF with Regimental Number 86065 as a Private and accompanied deportees on HMT Ypiranga from Sydney 12 Aug 1919, to the UK, arriving 12 Oct 1919. While in England he was AWOL for three days, forfeiting 6 days pay.
He returned to Australia via SS Cape Verde, leaving the UK on 5 Jan 1920, and arriving in Sydney on 29 Feb 1920. Discharged a second time at 2nd Military District in Sydney on 14 Mar 1920.
Mentioned in the 1917 Feb-Mar edition of "The Drill of the Foot-Hills", but no detail
Award Commentary
Military Medal
"Obtained valuable information while on patrol work, displaying great courage and endurance."[1][2][3](At the Maze and Le Barque on 12-28 February 1917)
The AWM website also has a recommendation for an honour in July 1918.
"On the 4th July 1918, during the attack on the enemy trenches East of Hamel, Lance Sergeant CASTERTON located an enemy Machine Gun enfilading their position. Without hesitation CASTERTON dashed forward with his Section, and by means of well directed fire put the gun out of action and captured the complete crew of 1 N.C.O. and 9 men. His excellent leadership and initiative put great confidence in the men.[4] A handwritten endorsement awards the Military Medal for these exploits.
It is not apparent if he was meant to be awarded a second Military Medal, or if the published comments in the Gazettes are in error with the correct ones in line with the events mentioned above.
Post War
The West Australian 10 Jul 1919 page 7 announces that he is to receive his Military Medal at a parade on the Esplanade on the 19 Jul 1919. However, his address is unknown to the organisers, and while he doesn't appear on Australian Electoral Rolls after 1916, he is in Sydney in 1920 taking his discharge from the Special AIF.
Electoral Roll entry-1916 - Central Police Station, Police Constable. No further entries for Australia so it would appear he returned to the UK after a period in Sydney
Notes
- ↑ Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 23 Date: 12 February 1919, page 272, position 87;
- ↑ AIF List 401 22 Sep 1918;
- ↑ London Gazette 21 October 1918, page 12421, position 16.
- ↑ https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068633/document/5511251.PDF