Calderwood, William
No.419 – Private William Calderwood – 11th Battalion AIF
William Calderwood was born in Belfast Ireland in 1883. He grew up in Ireland and after leaving school he joined the Royal Navy where he subsequently served 12 years. After leaving the Royal Navy William travelled to Western Australia, taking up residence in Fremantle, then Cottesloe. He worked as a Labourer in the Fremantle region.
As soon as war was declared, William offered his services to the AIF. At the recruitment office in Fremantle on the 15th August 1914, William was given a medical examination by Captain Edward Brennan of Fremantle Hospital. William was found to be 5 feet 9 & ¼ inches in height; weight of 170 lbs; chest measurement of 37-41 inches; sallow complexion; brown eyes and black curly hair. William had other distinctive marks in tattoos, the largest of which was of two snakes which went around the chest and neck. His religious denomination was Church of England. As he had no relatives in Australia, his next of kin was a friend, Miss Harrison of Douglas Street South Fremantle.
William was assigned to the original D Company of the 11th Battalion on the 8th September 1914 and trained in WA until the end of October 1914. On the 2nd November the 11th Battalion left Fremantle on the H.M.A.T. “Ascanius” and made their way to Egypt. After their arrival in Egypt, their 8 company system was reformed into 4 Companies to match the British system. Therefore William’s D Company joined up with the old C Company to form the new B Company. William was in No.12 Section of 7 Platoon.
For the first three months of 1915, the 11th Battalion were based at Mena Camp in Egypt near Cairo and trained in the desert. In late March 1915 the 11th Battalion as part of the 3rd Brigade were sent across to Lemnos Island in preparation for their landing at Anzac Cove. They spent their time living on the transport ships in Lemnos Harbour while final preparations were made for the landing on the Turkish coast.
On the 24th April the transport ships left Lemnos and sailed for the Turkish coast. Early on the 25th they were in position and the men got into the smaller whaler boats and rowed for the Turkish coast. The 11th Battalion landed in the vicinity of Plugges Plateau to North Beach and made their way up the rugged & scrubby foothills of Anzac. No eyewitness reports exist as to the fate of William Calderwood. All that is known is that the other men of his section all went inland to the vicinity of what would be later known as the Nek and Baby 700.
Most of his section were killed in action around Baby 700 and it is probable that William fell somewhere in this vicinity. Unfortunately as we did not hold this position after the first day, it is likely that William was buried by the Turks in an unmarked grave. Initially labeled as missing, it wasn’t until a Court of Inquiry was held in Fletres France on the 10th April 1916 that William was officially declared as killed in action.
When war graves parties came through after the war, his grave location was not discovered, and so William Calderwood is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial. His father, Joseph Calderwood, still living in Belfast Ireland, would receive his war medals