William Edward Reed
From Our Contribution
 Western Mail 11 Jun 1915 page 4s | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | C April 1891 |
| Place of Birth | Jarrahdale |
| Death | 8 Aug 1917 |
| Place of Death | Messines, Belgium |
| Age at Enlistment | 23 years, 4 months |
| Description |
6'6¼" (1.m) tall ; 133lbs 60.328 kg ; dark complexion ; hazel eyes ; dark brown hair |
| Occupation | Mill hand |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr. Edward Francis Reed |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 120 |
| Date of Enlistment | 8 Sep 1914 |
| Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit/Formation | 16th Battalion 'B 'Company / 4th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 22 Dec 1914 ‒ 1 Feb 1915 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A40 Ceramic |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 26 Apr 1915 Gallipoli Wounded in Action 6 Aug 1917 Messines Killed in Action 8 Aug 1917 Messines |
| Monument |
Jarrahdale War Memorial Jarrahdale Honour Roll Gosnells War Memorial Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Menin Gate Memorial ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Gosnells Ward Honour Roll Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
Electoral Roll entries - 1915 mill hand Jarrahdale
War Service
Bill entered Blackboy Hill camp on 8 Sep 1914 and was allocated to the 16th Battalion. In October he was allocated to 'B' Company. As an original member he would have been amongst those that travelled to Melbourne where the 4th Brigade was in training at the Broadmeadows camp. At the completion of their training they boarded HMAT A40 Ceramic in Port Melbourne on 22 Dec 1914 for Alexandria in Egypt, disembarking there on 1 Feb 1915.
On 12 Apr 1915 he embarked in Alexandria aboard HMT Haida Pascha for Lemnos and then Gallipoli. With the rest of the 16th Battalion he landed at Anzac Cove in the evening of 25 Apr 1915, and was wounded in action the next day, receiving severe concussion. On 2 May 1915 he boarded HMT Galeka, before the next day being transferred to HMHS Delta for either Malta and then England, or England direct, as on 12 Nov 1915 he was paid at Weymouth. An entry in his military records dated 21 Feb 1916 advises that he had forfeited 59 days pay under "RW" for absence, which related to his absence from camp from 7 Dec 1915 until 4 Feb 1916. Seemingly also punished with 14 days Confined to Barracks so would appear to have occurred during his recuperation in England.
Bill returned to Alexandria in Egypt on HMT Kingstonian from Devonport, England on 5 Mar 1916. On arrival in Egypt, Bill was immediately admitted to the 15th General Hospital in Alexandria where he received treatment for class B laryngitis before transferring 22 Mar 1916 to the Glymenopoulo Convalescent Depot. Further health issues emerged, with a return to hospital, this time the 17th General Hospital in Alexandria on 4 Apr 1916, before on 2 May 1916 when he was transferred to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital in Abbassia with Venereal Disease, before returning to duty at Tel-el-Kebir on 15 May 1916 (14 days ineffective service).
Bill embarked on HMT Ionian in Alexandria on 7 Jun 1916 for Marseilles, France, arriving there on 14 Jun 1916 and was then sent to the 4th Australian Division Base Depot in Étaples. On 26 Jul 1916 in Étaples, Bill was charged with Falling out of the line of march without a permit. Penalty was the loss of 5 day's pay. He set out from Étaples to rejoin the 16th Battalion on 31 Dec 1916, and managed to do so on 2 Jan 1917.
On 20 May 1917 Bill was appointed Lance Corporal, and on 6 Aug 1917 in the front line near Messines, he was wounded in action a second time, but remained on duty. This had almost immediate tragic consequences as on 8 Aug 1917 Bill was Killed in Action at Messines and buried 600m north east of Messines. However, his grave could not later be identified and he is therefore commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres (Iper).
Notes
NOK living in Jarrahdale at time of enlistment.