Young, William Thomas

3861 Sergeant William Thomas Young DCM MM - 12th Battalion AIF

William Thomas Young was born in York WA on the 1888 to Thomas and Esther Anne Young. He had three siblings, George (1886), Margaret (1890) and Esther (1892). He had his early years in York and was educated here.

After leaving school William took up employment with the WA Government Railways and lived in Fremantle. In 1910 he married Edith Margaret (Cherry) Mann in Fremantle.

Due to work and being based in the Southwest while working for the WAGR, the newlywed couple soon moved to Bunbury. A daughter, Barbara was born in South Bunbury in 1910 and Joyce in 1913.

On the 14th August 1915 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 9 inches tall;

Weight - 144lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Dark.

Upon his successful enlistment William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.25 Infantry Depot. While at this training facility he was taken through the basics of infantry work. After a few weeks here he was then transferred into the 12th Reinforcements to the 12th Battalion AIF.

This group departed Fremantle Harbour on the 22nd December 1915 aboard the transport ship HMAT Ajana. The ship arrived in Egypt in January 1916 and the men were sent into the reinforcement camp. William was taken on strength of the 12th Battalion on the 17th March 1916.

He only had twelve days with his unit in Egypt as on the 29th March 1916, the 12th Battalion left on a transport ship heading for France. They arrived at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916.

The 12th Battalion were then entrained for northern France, arriving in the Armentieres region. They would spend April to June 1916 in this sector of the Western Front.

In July 1916 the 12th Battalion were sent to the Somme battlefield, where along with the other units of the 1st Australian Division, they successfully helped capture the French village of Pozieres on the 23rd July 1916. On the 24th July 1916 William was wounded by shrapnel in the leg.

He was evacuated to the 1st Canadian General hospital in Etaples. He spent a few days here and on the 1st August 1916 was shipped to England. He was admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester. William remained in hospital until the 18th September when he was released and transferred to No.1 Command Depot Cap at Perham Downs. He was then granted a two week furlough and on the 13th October 1916 marched into No.3 Command Depot Camp at Bovington. On the 3rd November William was then sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Wareham.

William now spent the next few months regaining the full use of his leg. Though the wounds had largely healed the shell wound had been severe and he still needed time to regain full fitness.

It wasn't until the 2nd February 1917 that William returned to France. He spent several days at the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples but then rejoined the 12th Battalion on the 15th February 1917.

The 12th Battalion were then on the Somme battlefield and were soon in action with the Germans around the ruined village of Le Barque. The Germans had made a decision to shorten their line and pull back to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line. As a result they conducted a fighting withdrawal and several sharp actions were fought by Australian and British units as they pressed the Germans.

In April 1917 the 12th Battalion captured the village of Boursies though casualties had been heavy. After it's capture the 12th Battalion manned the front in this sector along with the 11th battalion. There was no actual trench line but just a series of unconnected outposts. The Germans took advantage of this and on April 15th 1917 launched a large scale assault on Lagnicourt and Boursies.

Though many posts fought on until surrounded and out of ammunition, the Germans were able to stream through the isolated posts and though they were eventually pushed back it was a short lived success for them. William was in the thick of the fight as he was in one of the outposts the Germans attacked. For his actions this day William was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM). The official recommendation reads;

'On morning of April 15th 1917 at Lagnicourt, Pte Young was a member of No.1 Picquet when the enemy attacked in force. When driven back he did his utmost to assist his picquet commander (afterwards killed) to rally his men and succeeded sufficiently to put up a running fight. On arriving back at the sunken road, he was the first to observe the enemy in the village and gave warning. He constituted himself an observer in an exposed position and kept his Company Commander posted with news. He rushed an approaching party of Germans, alone, and bombed them, killing several and forcing the others to retire. On evacuating the road he was last to leave and before doing so shot a German officer who was endeavoring to capture the Lewis Gun.'

William was appointed Lance Corporal the same day as this action occurred. 

There was not much rest for the 12th Battalion, and despite having had heavy casualties at Boursies and Lagnicourt, they were drawn into the Bullecourt action in May 1917. The 1st Australian Division was brought in to further the gains made by the 2nd Australian Division.

There was much hand to hand fighting in the trenches between the Germans and Australians. On the 6th May 1917 William was hit in the leg by shrapnel. He was initially patched up at the 5th Australian Field Ambulance and from there was sent to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. The following day William was admitted to the 26th General Hospital at Etaples.

It was while he was in hospital that William learnt of his Distinguished Conduct Medal being awarded.

Fortunately his wound this time wasn't too severe and on the 9th June William was released from hospital and was sent to No.6 Convalescent Depot.

William rejoined the 12th Battalion on the 26th June 1917. The Battalion was then on a three month rest period out of the line. On the 22nd July 1917 William was sent on a NCO Course at the Divisional School. During this period he was promoted to Corporal.

On the 27th August 1917 William rejoined his unit and the 12th Battalion soon moved to Belgium where they would take part in the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 20th September 1917 William saw action in the Battle of Menin Road and subsequently saw action through October and November 1917 at Celtic Wood and Broodseinde Ridge.

He came through this period unscathed and in December 1917 was granted a two week furlough to the UK. He returned on the 26th December 1917 and on the 30th December 1917 he was promoted to Sergeant.

On the 29th January 1918 William was seconded for duty to the Training Battalions in England. This was often done to give experienced men a rest from the front line and also to impart their knowledge to new recruits. William was put on the permanent staff at the Overseas Training Brigade Camp at Longbridge Deverell. William would spend the next seven months working in England.

On the 1st September 1918 he returned to France and on the 5th September he rejoined the 12th Battalion. The 12th Battalion was then near Peronne which had just been recaptured from the Germans.

The 12th Battalion kept up the advance and were soon in action near Jeancourt. On the 18th September 1918 William would be awarded the Military Medal for his gallantry. The official recommendation reads;

'In the attack on Jeancourt on the 18th Septemner 1918, Sgt Young commanded a platoon and led them with great gallantry. When his platoon was temporarily checked by machine gun fire in front of Grand Priel Woods, realising the importance of falling back from the barrage he rushed out alone towards the wood. The firing stopped and the men then captured 70 prisoners without firing a shot.'

The September 18th battle would turn out to be the last action fought by the 12th Battalion in the war. They were then pulled out of the line for a well deserved rest period.

On the 24th October 1918 William was promoted to Temporary Company Quarter Master Sergeant and the following month this rank became permanent.

After the Armistice on the 11th November 1918, the Germans pulled back to their own borders. As a result the Australian units went to what had been German occupied parts of France and Belgium. They would spend the remainder of their time in Europe in these areas.

On the 23rd March 1919 William was detached for duty with the Australian War Graves/Burial detachment. He was then given the rank of Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant.

William served with the War Graves detachment for two months and on the 31st May 1919 returned to England. However it appears after a short stay in England he returned to France and resumed working for the War Graves detachment until September 1919. He then returned to England and on the 6th October 1919 boarded the transport ship Pakeha and set sail for home, disembarking in Fremantle on the 16th November 1919.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 30th January 1920.

After his enlistment his wife had moved from Bunbury to Silas Street South Fremantle (now called McLaren Street) and then to Hammand Street Palmyra.

In 1921 in Perth a son called Chunda Thomas Young was born. The family then moved back to Bunbury, and Willian found employment as a Lumper at Bunbury Harbour.

William Thomas Young died on the 11th April 1959 aged 70. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.