Oddy, William
6092 Private William Oddy - 11th Battalion AIF
William Oddy was born in Stockton NSW in 1894 to Joseph and Amelia Oddy. He had several siblings, Hannah (1873), George (1877), Lillie (1878), James (1884), Lilly (1885), James (1887) and Amelia (1889).
After William's birth the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in North Fremantle.
His father Joseph died in Boulder in 1907.
William was educated at North Fremantle Primary School with the family living at Thomspon Road North Fremantle. He ended up residing with his older sister Lily.
William was a talented footballer and played with the premiership winning 1912 North Fremantle team.
After leaving school William took up employment as a Horse Driver.
On the 28th February 1916 in Fremantle William enlisted into the AIF. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 134lbs;
Chest Measurement - 32-25 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Fair.
After his successful enlistment, William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.57 Training Depot. He was taken through the basics of infantry work at this camp. On the 11th April 1916 he was then transferred into the 4th Reinforcements to the 51st battalion AIF. He only remained with this group for nine days as on the 20th April 1916 he was transferred into the 19th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion.
He trained with this group in WA for the next few months while they waited for their embarkation orders to arrive. These finally came through and on the 9th August 1916 William and his group boarded the transport ship HMAT Miltiades in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for England. After the long sea journey the ship arrived at Plymouth England on the 24th September 1916.
After being disembarked William and his group were marched into the 3rd Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp. William remained here for the next few months. It wasn't until the 23rd December 1916 that he arrived in France.
He was sent to the 1st Australia Division Base Depot in Etaples and while he only spent a few days here, he was en-route to the 11th Battalion when he had to be hospitalised with a hernia. William was initially sent to No.12 General Hospital at Rouen before being transferred to the 3rd Stationary Hospital on the 1st January 1917.
On the 10th February 1917 William was sent to No.2 Convalescent Depot Camp at Rouen and on the 13th March 1917 he returned to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot.
William eventually joined the 11th Battalion on the 23rd March 1917. They were then in the vicinity of the village of Morchies. In April 1917 the 11th and 12th Battalion were used to garrison the front line positions around Boursies, Louverval and Lagnicourt. As this area had just been captured from the Germans, there were no trenches as such, just unconnected positions, mainly shell holes that were deepened and used as outpost positions.
The Germans conducted a surprise attack on the 15th April 1917 which isolated and captured many of these posts. Many of the posts including William's fought on until they were out of ammunition but with no supplies coming through and casualties mounting, many of the posts were forced to surrender.
Though the Germans were pushed back, many of the men including William had been captured. The Germans marched their prisoners back behind their lines. He would spend the next year and a half as a Prisoner of War in Germany. He would spend time at Limburg, Stuttgart and Frederichsfeld prison camps.
When the Armistice was signed on the 11th November 1918 the prisoners of war including William were released. He arrived in England on the 19th December 1918. After being granted a months leave William reported in at No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth. He would wait here till he was assigned a berth on a troopship home.
On the 3rd May 1919 William boarded the transport ship Euripides and set sail home for Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 21st April 1919.
William was discharged from the AIF on the 29th May 1919.
In 1920 William married Dolly Florence Burns in North Fremantle and a son called William George Oddy was born in 1921.
By 1928 he was a stores assistant living at 37 Thompson Road North Fremantle and he remained here through to the 1950's. In 1958 he appeared to be working as a clerk.
His son William George Oddy lived just close by at 28 Herbert Road and he was working as a skin sorter in the wool trade.
William Oddy died on the 7th January 1960 aged 65. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.