Corbitt, William Edward James

2404 Private William Edward James Corbitt - Australian Flying Corps

William Edward Corbitt was born in Fremantle on the 27th October 1888 to James and Catherine Corbitt. 

He was one of several siblings, with, Edward (1878), Amelia (1880), Ellen (1882), Evaline (1885) and Samuel (1890).

The family lived in Point Street Fremantle and William grew up in Fremantle and was educated at CBC Fremantle though sadly his father, who worked for the WA Government Workshops, died in Fremantle in 1903.

The family later moved to Guildford as William was working for the WA Government Railways whose workshops had been moved to Midland from Fremantle, so it would be nearer to home for him.

However, from 1904 to 1905 he was based at Fremantle, as a junior manager and then as an apprentice joiner. Then from 1905-1906 he was based at Midland.

During the next few years William also served in the Citizen's Military Forces.

On the 7th July 1908 William married Frances May Williams at the Catholic presbytery in Guildford WA. They would go on to have several children, Donald (1908), Wilfred (1911), Florence (1913), Isobel (1916)

In 1914 the family was living at Burgess Street Midland Junction but soon moved to Coode Street in Bayswater.

On the 19th October 1917 William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 7 inches;

Weight - 151lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment, William was assigned to the Australian Flying Corps reinforcements and was sent to Laverton in Victoria to continue his training. He was given the rank of 2nd Air Mechanic.

Once his training at Laverton had finished, William embarked at Port Melbourne on the transport ship Ulysses on the 22nd December 1917. The sea journey to England took several weeks, as William and his group had to disembark at Suez and then reboard another ship, which then also stopped at Taranto in Italy and Cherbourg in France, eventually arriving at Southampton on the 13th February 1918.

On arrival in England William was sent to the Australian Flying Corps Training Depot and he remained here for the next few months. On the 14th June 1918 he was transferred to the 7th Training Squadron, and he remained serving with this unit for the remainder of the war.

On the 6th May 1919 William returned to Western Australia on the transport ship Kaiser-i-Hind, disembarking in Fremantle on the 9th June 1919.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 2nd July 1919.

Further children born after the war Dorothy (1918), William (1920), Brenda (1924) and Walter (1925). Sadly, Isobel died in 1928 aged 12

He then returned to working for the WA Government Railways. In 1925 the family were living at South Crescent Bayswater and remained through to 1937 when they moved to Ferguson St Maylands. He was now working as an Engineer for WAGR.

In 1943 they moved to 41 Nelson St Maylands and remained there till 1956

On the 9th May 1945 his wife Frances died and William died on the 2nd January 1956.

Family photo courtesy of Corbitt Ancestry family page