Bull, William Gibson
No.2628A – Sgt William Gibson Bull – 16th Battalion AIF
William Gibson Bull was born in Bunbury WA on the 31st May 1897 to William and Elizabeth Bull. Shortly after his birth the family moved up to Fremantle where they took up residence at 94 McCleery Street Beaconsfield. (Later renumbered to 40 McCleery Street).
William attended Fremantle Boys School and also became a member of the 86A Cadets. After leaving school he took up work as a clerk though as soon as he turned 18 he offered his services to the AIF.
On the 11th May 1915 William, with his parents consent, presented himself at the recruitment office in Perth. The medical examiner found William to be 5 feet 7 ½ inches in height; weight of 142 lbs; chest measurement of 33-35 inches; fresh complexion; brown eyes and dark brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.
On the 18th May 1915 he was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion, though on the 1st July 1915 he was transferred to the 8th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion. This group embarked from Fremantle on the H.M.A.T. “Anchises” on the 2nd September 1915 and made their way to Egypt. After arrival in Alexandria the men were sent on straight away to the 16th Battalion at Gallipoli. William was taken on strength of the 16th Battalion on the 23rd October 1915 and served through the last two months of the Gallipoli campaign. All the major assaults had ended by the time Bull arrived and the 16th were holding the line in the newly captured territory at Agyll Dere. The decision had been made to evacuate Gallipoli and the men would be gradually evacuated from the peninsula, with the date of final evacuation being December 20th. The 16th Battalion gradually reduced its numbers over several days, with William being assigned to the C Echelon which left Gallipoli at 10.40pm on the night of 18th December 1915.
After the evacuation the men were taken back to Lemnos Island and then further back to Egypt. The AIF was set to expand from two divisions to five and though many men left their original battalions to help form the new units, William remained with the 16th Battalion. He trained with them in Egypt through the first six months of 1916; on the 22nd March he had been appointed to Lance Corporal.
In early June the 16th Battalion departed from Alexandria and made their way to Marseilles France, arriving there on the 9th June 1916. The battalion then made their way north to Armentieres and had their first taste of trench life in France. In July they were sent down to the Somme and were involved in assaults at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm. William survived the 16th’s first assault at Pozieres and was promoted to Corporal. He would miss the battalion’s next attack upon Mouquet Farm as on the 22nd August he was evacuated to hospital with Bronchitis. It must have been serious as William was transferred to hospital at Boulogne on the French Coast. On the 7th September he was released from hospital and sent to the 4th Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples.
William rejoined the 16th Battalion on the 27th September 1916, the 16th then being stationed neat Ypres in Belgium. In October the battalion was again sent to the Somme and would spend the winter months in the vicinity of Flers. William survived this period largely unscathed though on the 6th February 1917 he was evacuated to hospital with ulceration of the ankles which seemed to be a result of trench feet. William was sent to the 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre where he got into trouble with leaving hospital and being in Le Havre without a pass. He was severely reprimanded by Lt-Colonel Glynn though escaped further punishment. William rejoined the 16th Battalion on the 19th March 1917. The 16th were then out of the line but soon returned in April to take part in the disastrous assault at Bullecourt. William survived the actions at Bullecourt and also the other main assaults the 16th Battalion took part in 1917; at Messines in June and Third Ypres in September/October 1917.
On the 16th January 1918 William was promoted Sergeant and the battalion continued to hold the line at Warneton until March 1918. When the Germans launched their massive Spring Offensive and broke through the Third & Fifth British Armies, the 16th Battalion as part of the 4th Division was rushed south to help reform the defensive line. The 16th Battalion took up position near Hebuterne and repulsed all German advances, and themselves soon started nibbling away at the German lines pushing them back. William survived the battalion’s time here and also when they were sent further south near Villers-Bretonneux. On July 4th 1918 the 16th Battalion helped recapture the village of Hamel and casualties had been quite heavy. Once again William survived and on the 18th July 1918 he was given his first period of leave since joining the AIF. He departed for the UK and had three weeks away from battalion duty though the day he arrived back was the 8th August 1918, the day of the great allied offensive from Amiens.
William survived the actions of the first few days of battle as the Germans were being pushed back by the relentless attacks of the Australians, British and Canadians. The 16th Battalion set up camp in an abandoned German position. A private in the 16th Battalion later said that;
“The Germans had abandoned an immense ammunition dump at Guillaucourt station, which was within 200 yards of our little home, and on 16th August he began to shell Guillacourt, evidently searching for the dump. At that time the Battalion Orderly room had been established in the cellars {of a two room cottage}. Several shells landed around us during the morning without causing any casualties. We had dinner soon after midday – Warren, Sgt Bull, Corporal Cuttmore, a mere boy named Cobbe and myself. Shortly afterwards Warren went for a walk but returned about 1pm and came down into the cellar when shells again began to arrive in the village. At the time the five mentioned above were together. Big shells were coming into the village every 90 seconds. The fifth shell seemed to me to come much closer to us and I suggested that we should squeeze ourselves into a small opening like a dugout in one of the walls of the cellar. All agreed. Just as the men were crawling into the opening there was a tremendous crash and the flash of an explosion. A shell had come into the cellar and burst. The building collapsed on top of us, but the framework of the little opening held the weight of the debris off our bodies. I struck a match but it died out immediately owing to the gases caused by the explosion. Then I spoke to Bull, Cuttmore and Cobbe-the last mentioned seriously wounded in the head. We could hear nothing of poor Warren. I called to him and called also for help, but could get no response. It was quite dark about us but I did not think that the building had fallen in. That was the last shell fired into the village that day, and a party soon began to dig for us. After having been buried nearly an hour I was dug out and quickly recovered. Sergeant Bull was dead when they got him out, notwithstanding that I had spoken to him it seemed not many minutes before. Little Cobbe must have died in my arms some time previously. Cuttmore, the last man they found that day is still alive I think, but he has not recovered from the effects of that explosion. That afternoon Warren was officially reported as missing. Early the next morning they found his body, and it was evident that death had taken place instantly following the explosion. They told me he had been buried alongside of Bull and Cobbe in the small British Cemetery on the outskirts of Guillaucourt.’
After the war Bull, Cobbe and Warren were exhumed from this small Cemetery and placed in Heath Cemetery Harbonnieres.
(photo-Sgt William Bull standing)