William Ellery
Name: William Howard Ellery
Rank: Private
Service Number: 777
Unit Served: 10th Battalion
Personal Details: William Ellery was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales. His parents were Josiah and Agnes Ellery. At some point in William’s life, the family moved to Moonta, South Australia. He attended Moonta District High School and later became a clerk. He was five feet, six inches tall and had brown hair and blue eyes.
Enlistment Details: William enlisted on July 11th 1916 in Adelaide. As he was 18 and a half years old at the time, his father signed the consent form. William was not allowed to leave the Commonwealth before his nineteenth birthday.
Details about role in the war: On the 21st of November 1917, William embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT “Nestor.” After a couple of days in Suez and Alexandria, William embarked the HMAT “Albarich” on the 8th of January, 1918 and disembarked in Taranto five days later. On the 22nd of January 1918, William was left in hospital isolation in Cherbourg and on the 14th of February he marched into Sutton Veny. On the 7th of April 1918, William proceeded to France to reinforce the 10th Battalion via Southampton. On the 11th of April, he was taken on strength from 6th machine gun company reinforcements and went to the school of instruction on the 22nd of July. William was charged with being absent without leave on the 28th of July. He rejoined the 10th Battalion on the 1st of August but was wounded in the field on the 10th. He was admitted to the casualty clearing station with shrapnel wounds to his left thigh and legs. On the 1st of October he was discharged to the Australian Infantry Base Depot. William was on leave from France from the 14th of February to the 28th of February, 1919. On the 14th of March 1919, he was admitted to hospital with Pleurisy. He rejoined on the 22nd of March but two months later was readmitted to hospital. On the 10th of July 1919, William was admitted from the Casualty Clearing Station to the 56th General Hospital. Five days later he embarked for England and on the 9th of September 1919, he was transferred to the First Australian General Hospital in Sutton Veny as dangerously ill. On the 6th of October 1919, William Howard Ellery died of Broncho Pneumonia.
Date of Death: 6th of October, 1919
Age at time of death: 21 years, 8 months
Burial Details: William was buried in the Sutton Veny (St.John) churchyard at 932. M.7
