Grainger, William
2908 Private William Grainger - 48th Battalion
William Grainger was born in Maybole Scotland in 1878. He spent much of his early life in Scotland before arriving in Fremantle Western Australia.
William and Janet had three children before their arrival in WA, Margaret, Elizabeth and Janet.
Four more children would be born in Fremantle, with Mary (1911), James (1912), Vera (1914) though their child born in 1916 did not survive the birth.
William and his wife Janet were living at 36 Wesley Street South Fremantle. He was working in Wool Classing.
On the 14th August 1916 William enlisted at the Fremantle Drill Hall and was accepted as fit for service. The medical examiner recorded William's details as;
Height - 5 Feet 6 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 146lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-37 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Fair
Religious denomination - Presbyterian
William spent a month at No.81 Training Depot and was then assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 48th Battalion. He trained with this group at Blackboy Hill Camp for the next few months.
On the 9th November 1916, William and his reinforcement group boarded that HMAT Argyllshire in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for England. After the long sea voyage the ship arrived at Devonport England on the 10th January 1917.
For the first several months of 1917 William was based at the 12th Training Battalion at Codford Camp on the Salisbury Plains. It wasn't until the 21st June 1917 that William joined the 48th Battalion. The unit were then holding the line near Messines in Belgium.
Through July and August 1917 William remained with the 48th battalion on the Messines front. They were then relieved and had a few weeks out of the line to prepare for their upcoming role in the Third Battle of Ypres.
On the 29th September 1917, William was wounded by shrapnel in the head when they unit were near Zonnebeke. He was evacuated back for medical care and by the 3rd October 1917 was in England undergoing medical care.
From October to December 1917 William was at the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital and he was then released to the training depot. William was not yet fit for service but a period of rest in England would improve his health.
In May 1918 William rejoined the 48th Battalion in France at Villers-Bretonneux. He served with them through the next few months. On the 8th August 1918, which was the date of the great advance by Australian, Canadian and British forces on the Villers-Bretonneux front, William was wounded as the 48th Battalion advanced to secure their objectives but he remained on duty so it must have been just a slight wound.
William served with the 48th Battalion until they were withdrawn from the line on September 20th 1918.
The unit were then withdrawn for a well deserved rest and were still out of the line when the Armistice was announced.
The 48th Battalion then went to parts of Belgium that had been occupied by the Germans near Charleroi. William didn't return to England until April 1919 and there is a note in his service records that he took on the role of Batman to Brigadier General Leane for a short time.
William returned to Australia on the transport ship Plassy on the 5th September 1919 and arrived back at Fremantle on the 17th October 1919.
William was sent to No.8 Australian general Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle for a medical checkup and from there it was only a short walk back to his house in Wesley Street.
William was officially discharged from the AIF on the 2nd December 1919.
He initially continued his work as a wool classer and then operated from his bag merchant business in Bannister Street Fremantle. At this point in time the family had moved to Tuckfield Street Fremantle.
In July 1940 William was struck by a taxi on the corner of Queen Victoria and James Streets. He was taken to Fremantle Hospital but died shortly after arrival. He was 62 years old and was survived by his wife and five children.
He was buried in Fremantle Cemetery plot Presbyterian Mon EE 0671
Photo below (William and Janet post WW1)