The AIF Project

William Wolstenholme NUTTALL

Regimental number5382
Place of birthWanganella New South Wales
ReligionMethodist
OccupationLabourer
AddressNarrandera, New South Wales
Marital statusSingle
Age at embarkation25
Next of kinMother, Mrs Emily Harriott Nuttall, Ivyville Seventh Avenue, Lidcombe, New South Wales
Enlistment date2 November 1915
Rank on enlistmentPrivate
Unit name18th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number23/35/3
Embarkation detailsUnit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A18 Wiltshire on 22 August 1916
Rank from Nominal RollCorporal
Unit from Nominal Roll18th Battalion
FateKilled in Action 3 October 1918
Place of burialNo known grave
Commemoration detailsAustralian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France

Villers-Bretonneux is a village about 15 km east of Amiens. The Memorial stands on the high ground ('Hill 104') behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, which is about 2 km north of Villers-Bretonneux on the east side of the road to Fouilloy.

The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is approached through the Military Cemetery, at the end of which is an open grass lawn which leads into a three-sided court. The two pavilions on the left and right are linked by the north and south walls to the back (east) wall, from which rises the focal point of the Memorial, a 105 foot tall tower, of fine ashlar. A staircase leads to an observation platform, 64 feet above the ground, from which further staircases lead to an observation room. This room contains a circular stone tablet with bronze pointers indicating the Somme villages whose names have become synonymous with battles of the Great War; other battle fields in France and Belgium in which Australians fought; and far beyond, Gallipoli and Canberra.

On the three walls, which are faced with Portland stone, are the names of 10,885 Australians who were killed in France and who have no known grave. The 'blocking course' above them bears the names of the Australian Battle Honours.

After the war an appeal in Australia raised £22,700, of which £12,500 came from Victorian school children, with the request that the majority of the funds be used to build a new school in Villers-Bretonneux. The boys' school opened in May 1927, and contains an inscription stating that the school was the gift of Victorian schoolchildren, twelve hundred of whose fathers are buried in the Villers-Bretonneux cemetery, with the names of many more recorded on the Memorial. Villers-Bretonneux is now twinned with Robinvale, Victoria, which has in its main square a memorial to the links between the two towns.

Panel number, Roll of Honour,
  Australian War Memorial
86
Medals

Military Medal

'In the attack on the morning of the 19th instant near MORLANCOURT on arrival at the objective, 2 enemy Machine Gun posts caused a gap in our line and were enfilading the party on the right of the gap from the rear. Lieutenant Jones called for volunteers to bomb up this trench where upon 5382 Lance Corporal W.W. NUTTALL, 5368 Private G. MILLIKEN, and 6340 Private J.S. KITCHENER, formed a bombing party. They moved along the trench to bombing range and succeeded in killing or wounding all the garrison and finally rushed the position, capturing the two enemy Machine guns, and established connection with the party on the left of the gap thus securing communication with the left Brigade.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 23
Date: 12 February 1919

Other details

War service: Western Front

Medals: Military Medal, British War Medal, Victory Medal

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