Patterson, William Henry
4276 Private William Henry Patterson - 11th Battalion AIF
William Henry Patterson was born in Morwell Victoria on the 5th September 1893 to John and Mary Patterson. He was one of twelve children with five being born in Victoria and the remainder in Fremantle. The family had moved to Western Australia in 1897.
The family lived at 168 Forrest Street Fremantle. William was educated locally at East Fremantle Primary School. After leaving school he took up work locally as a labourer.
On the 9th July 1915, William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 6 & 3/4 inches tall;
Weight - 145lbs;
Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Grey;
Hair - Auburn.
William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was then assigned to No.15 Training Depot. He was taken through the basics of infantry work as this camp . He only spent four days in this depot camp and was then transferred to the 10th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion AIF.
William trained with this group until the 8th November 1915 when he was transferred to the 13th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. He had a further few months in WA with this group.
On the 17th January 1916 William and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Borda. The ship then set sail for Egypt, disembarking at Suez on the 9th February 1916.
As the 11th Battalion was already at its full complement of numbers, William was sent to the 3rd Training Battalion.
On the 29th March 1916 William left Egypt and proceeded to France. On arrival at Marseilles he was entrained for northern France and joined the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples. The reinforcements for the infantry units were kept here until required at the Battalion/.
William remained at the 1st ADBD at Etaples for the next few months. He was finally sent to the 11th Battalion, joining "A" Company of the 11th on the 23rd June 1916.
The 11th Battalion were then moved to the Somme battlefield. On the 22nd July 1916 the 11th Battalion took part in an operation which captured the French village of Pozieres. During the advance William was hit in the foot, ankle and buttocks by shrapnel. It was the foot and ankle wounds which proved the most serious.
After initial medical treatment at the field ambulance, William was sent back to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station. His wounds were assessed more thoroughly and he was then sent to the 11th General Hospital at Camiers. Camiers is a sea side town just north of Etaples. William's wounds were classed as severe and he spent two weeks in hospital at Camiers. During his time here the first and second toes of his right foot had to be amputated.
On the 8th August 1916 William was transferred to England by hospital ship and was then admitted to Colchester Military Hospital. William would spend the next four months in Colchester on further operations and recovery.
On the 15th December 1916 William was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital. He was medically assessed at Weymouth and it was noted that he had limited movement of his ankle and foot where his toes had been amputated and that he could not walk without the use of a stick. It was then decided by medical authorities that due to his wounds, it would be best to return home as he was now classed as permanently unfit for active service and home service.
On the 17th March 1917 William arrived at Plymouth and was sent aboard the transport ship Beltana and returned to Australia, disembarking in Fremantle on the 5th May 1917.
After arriving back in Fremantle, William was sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace and was again medically assessed.
William was discharged from the AIF on the 9th November 1917.
On the 24th June 1920 William married Jenny Jones at St Johns Church in Fremantle, and from the marriage, Daisy born in 1921, John in 1922 and Phillip 1930.
From the early 1920's the family lived at 84 Dalgety St East Fremantle and William worked as a greengrocer. The family lived there through to 1932 when William separated from his wife.
He then moved to 86 Forrest Street East Fremantle which is where he lived until he died on the 1st May 1942 aged 48. William was buried at Fremantle Cemetery plot Anglican MON A6 0152.