William Tidy
Rank: Private
Service Number: 14949
Unit Served: 6th Australian Field Ambulance
William James Tidy was born in Quorn, SA, in August 1893. He and his widowed mother Jane Crawford Inwood lived in West Croydon, South Australia. William was a baker.
William enlisted on the 15th of January 1916 in West Croydon into the 2nd depot Battalion of the 6th Australian Field Ambulance. He embarked Adelaide aboard the HMAT “Commonwealth” on the 21st of September 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England on the 14th of November that year. William marched into Etaples from England on the 1st of December. He spent a month in segregation camp from the 14th. On the 20th of January 1917 he transferred to the 2nd division Ambulance and on the 17th of February he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia. William was granted furlough from the 18th of June due to his pneumonia and marched in again on the 2nd of July.
On the 2nd of November 1917 William proceeded overseas to France and on the 8th he rejoined the 6th Field Ambulance. William moved out to the 2nd Division Army Medical Corps. On the 23rd of December 1917 William was admitted to hospital with scabies, 3 months later he was again admitted to hospital on the 27th of March 1918 with a fever. He rejoined the 6th Field Ambulance on the 2nd of May.
William was killed in action on the 3rd of October 1918 at the age of 25. He is buried at Bellicourt British Cemetery in Aisne, France.
Image from the "Chronicle" 9th November 1918 sourced through Trove.
