Truran, William Howard

2713 Private William Howard Truran - 11th Battalion & Australian Army Medical Corps

William Howard Truran was born in South Australia in 1893 to Samuel and Harriet Truran. He had an older brother Herbert who had been born in Victoria in 1891, and two younger siblings, Victor in 1895 and Basil in 1897.

While the boys were still young the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Fremantle. The family lived at 160 Forrest Street East Fremantle (now No.67) and the boys completed their schooling locally.

After leaving school William took up a painting apprenticeship with ES Pulham in Claremont. This apprenticeship lasted for five years after which he became a fully qualified painter.

On the 17th June 1915, William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for service with the medical examiner recording William's physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 3 inches;

Weight - 126lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Dark Brown.

After his successful enlistment William was assigned to the 8th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion AIF. During this time William had a photo taken with his brother Victor and a few friends.

(Photo below - William seated centre and Victor standing back right. The names of the friends are unknown)

William spent July and August 1915 training with his reinforcement group in WA. Their embarkation orders soon arrived and on the 1st September 1915 William and his group travelled to Fremantle where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Anchises and set sail for Egypt.

William had a few weeks in Egypt but on the 18th October 1915 embarked from Alexandria on a troopship which took him to Mudros, off the Turkish Coast. at the time he arrived at Mudros the 16th Battalion were having a well deserved break from the battlefield but on the 31st October 1915 returned to Anzac.

William had been posted to "C" Company of the 16th Battalion. William spent several weeks at Gallipoli but due to the wintery conditions there was no offensive action. Plans were instead underway to evacuate Gallipoli. The numbers at Gallipoli were gradually reduced. William, as part of "C" Company, left Gallipoli on the afternoon of 19th December 1915, just eight or so hours before the final Australians left the battlefield.

The 16th Battalion returned to Egypt in January 1916 and William developed a few health issues which kept him hospitalised for several weeks.

On the 9th March 1916 William rejoined the 16th Battalion. He had met his brothers Herbert and Basil while in Egypt. Basil had just been posted to the 48th Battalion but William managed to convince his CO to get Basil transferred to the 16th Battalion. The two brothers were able to then serve in the same unit and spent the next few months training in the Egyptian desert.

On the 1st June 1916 the 16th Battalion left Alexandria Egypt aboard a troopship and set sail for France, reaching Marseilles on the 9th June 1916. The 16th Battalion were then sent to northern France to the Armentieres region. They had their first taste of trench life on the Western Front in this sector.

They were not here for long as in July were transferred down to the Somme battlefield where through August and September 1916 they took part in actions at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm.

During his time in France William had visited the underground caves in Naours where he left his mark on the wall of the caves (picture below)

William came through the actions unscathed and the Battalion then had a short stint in Belgium during September and October 1916.

The 16th Battalion soon returned to the Somme battlefield in November 1916. William was soon evacuated sick. After treatment at the 4th Field Ambulance William was sent to the 1st New Zealand Stationary Hospital at Amiens. He was diagnosed to be suffering from nephritis.

It was decided to send William to England for further treatment and upon arrival he was sent to No.2 Southern General Hospital.  He remained in hospital for over a month and on the 28th December 1916 was sent to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs.

William wasn't yet healthy enough to return to his unit so remained in Camp for the next few months. In March 1917 he was transferred into the newly forming 70th Battalion at Wareham Camp.

This was part of a new 6th Division, however after a few months of training it became clear that there weren't enough reinforcements coming through and the 6th Division was disbanded.

However before this took place it appears William requested to rejoin the 16th Battalion and he was taken back on strength on the 3rd May 1917. The 16th battalion had just come through the Bullecourt operations and were very low on numbers.

William served at Messines in June, July and August 1917, though he had a short stint in hospital ill but was only away from his unit for five days.

In September and October 1917 the 16th Battalion took part in the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action at Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke and Broodseinde. On the 20th October 1917 William was wounded when shrapnel from a close exploding shell hit him in the thigh and leg. The same shell killed his mate James Mounser.

After initial medical treatment in Belgium at the 2nd Canadian General Hospital, he was evacuated to Hospital in England. He was admitted to the 3rd Southern General Hospital at Oxford. He had nearly two months here and on the 4th January 1918 William was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. He only had three days here where hi wounds and healing were assessed and was then sent to No.3 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott.

William spent the next six months at this camp during which time he was then taken on strength of the Australian Army Medical Corps. For the remainder of the war William worked at No.3 Command Depot Camp and No.2 Command Depot Camp for the AAMC.

The Armistice was announced on the 11th November 1918 and William remained in England through to the end of January 1919.

He was allotted a berth on the troopship Nevasa which left England on the 5th February 1919. The journey home took over four weeks, and William arrived back in Fremantle on the 13th April 1919.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 27th October 1919.

William returned to work as a painter and was living back at 160 Forrest Street.

He married war widow Ruby Luff (nee McLaughlin) in 1926 and as well as becoming the stepfather to Ruby's three children from her marriage to John Luff, they then had a son together called Howard Samuel Truran. During this time the family were living in Chester Street Beaconsfield.

William remained a painter for the rest of his working career.

In 1967 he applied for his Anzac Commemorative medallion from his home at 36 Chester Street South Fremantle.

William Howard Truran died in East Victoria Park on the 20th March 1981 aged 87. He was buried in Fremantle Cemetery plot Methodist Mon BB 0843.

The Australian War Memorial has an oral history with William Truran which is available to listen to online.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C280860