William Thomas Driver

William Thomas Driver

Informal group portrait of WA Miners who enlisted in 1916, identified, left to right, back row: 5317 William Thomas Driver, 2nd Tunneling Coy; Henry Thomas Henrich; 1095 John Graves; 5401 Lancelot Wilfred Peyton Partridge, 2nd Tunneling Coy; 10302 John Henry Maher, 10th Field Company Engineers; 5402 Edwin Franklin Pearce, 1st Tunneling Coy; 7164 John Francis Lewis, Tunneling Coy. Middle row: 1164 Albert Gaston; 1st Imperial Camel Brigade; 5291 John Lawrence Buckham, 3rd Tunneling Coy; 5290 Charles Arthur Baker, 3rd Tunneling Coy; 5407 John Ruddock, 2nd Tunneling Coy; 5408 Joseph Rogers, 2nd Tunneling Coy; 5563 Sapper James Ernest Augustus Lavery, 1st Tunneling Coy, of Warrnambool, Vic, (later died on 24 March 1919); 5357 Joseph King, 3rd Tunneling Coy; 5304 William Carman, 2nd Tunneling Coy. Front row: 2647 William Henry Smith, 3rd Pioneer Battalion; William Campbell; 5315 William Henry Dabb, 2nd Tunneling Coy.
Personal Information
Date of Birth	c1874
Place of Birth	London, England
Death	16 Aug 1953, aged 78
Place of Death	East Cannington, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	41 years, 5 months
Description	5'8" (1.73m) tall ; 140lbs 63.503 kg ; fresh complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair ; tattoo of Union Jack & American flags on chest.
Occupation	Labourer
Religion	Methodist
Address	c/- East Cannington Post Office, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs Kathleen May Driver
Military Information
Reg Number	5317
Date of Enlistment	20 Mar 1916
Rank	Sapper
Unit/Formation	September 1916 Reinforcements, transferred to Engineers - 2nd Tunneling Company
Date of Embarkation	30 Sep 1916 ‒ 2 Dec 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A23 Suffolk
Date of Return	16 Jun 1919 ‒ 24 Jul 1919
Ship Returned On	RMS Ormonde
Fate	Returned to Australia
Monument	Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Prior to his arrival in Australia in late 1911 or early 1912, William had served in the British Army Royal Artillery for 18 years with overseas postings to Gibraltar, India, Aden, India, Aden and India again. He had been refused enlistment in the AIF previously as he could not hop! In 1912 he married Kathleen May Underwood.

Electoral Roll entries: 1913 at 27 Tower street, Leederville, labourer; 1914 c/- PO East Cannington; 1917 Pipe Track, Cannington, soldier.

War Service

On 20 Mar 1916 Bill entered camp and began basic training. On 10 May 1916 he was transferred to Miners Reinforcements, which necessitated his going to Seymour in Victoria for specialist training. Departing from Melbourne aboard HMAT A23 Suffolk on 30 Sep 1916, he arrived in England on 2 Dec 1916, and after a brief period at Perham Downs, was quickly moved overseas to France (on 1 Jan 1917 via Folkestone on HMT Arundel).

Initially posted to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion, on 30 Mar 1917 he was taken on strength by the 2nd Tunneling Company. From 4 - 13 Apr 1917 he was ill, no indication in his records as to the nature of the illness.

From 10 - 14 Jan 1919 Bill was granted leave in Paris. On 25 Mar 1919 Bill presented to the amalgamated 5/6/7th Australian Field Ambulance with influenza. Passed on to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station the same day, and on 30 Mar 1919 he was placed on Ambulance Train No. 14 for Boulogne where he was admitted to the 7th Stationary Hospital on 31 Mar 1919. On 4 Apr 1919 he was released from hospital and sent to the Base Depot before rejoining his unit on 11 Apr 1919.

William to England on 26 Apr 1919, where he entered the No 2 Command Depot for return to Australia processing. On his return he was discharged by the 5th Military District on 31 Aug 1919.

Post War

Electoral Roll entries: 1925 - 1949 Pipe Track, Cannington, labourer (during all of this time his wife Kathleen May maintained her address as c/- East Cannington Post office). Following Bill's death, Kathleen May moved to 60 Carnarvon street, Victoria Park where she lived until 22 Oct 1980, when aged 96 she died in East Victoria Park.