Bullmore, William King
1630 Sapper William King Bullmore - 5th Broad Guage Railway Operating Company
William King Bullmore was born on the 15th November 1897 at Hotham Victoria to Willian Prince Bullmore and Isobella Bullmore. He was the eldest of four siblings, with, Ellen (1900), Mavis (1904) and Jean (1911).
Shortly after William's birth the family moved to Western Australia, initially residing at Northam and then in Fremantle.
The family lived at 'Swan View' Ainslie Road North Fremantle (No.17 Ainslie) and William was an iron worker.
On the 12th February 1916 William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was passed as fit for enlistment with the medical officer recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 11 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 152lbs;
Chest Measurement - 35-38 inches;
Complexion - Brown;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Black.
After his successful enlistment William was sent to Claremont Camp where he was assigned to the 1st Reinforcements to the 44th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months.
On the 6th June 1916 William and his group boarded the transport ship HMAT Suevic in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for England. They arrived at Plymouth England on the 21st July 1916.
William was then sent to the 3rd Division Training Ground on the Salisbury Plains. He spent the next few months here training.
On the 18th November 1916 William was taken on strength of the 44th Battalion in England. A week later on the 25th November 1916, the 44th Battalion left for France.
The 44th Battalion would have their first experience of the Western Front in December 1916 in the Armentieres sector. It was a very cold French winter and many men were being evacuated with sickness.
On the 22nd February 1917 William fell ill and was evacuated to the Field Ambulance. He was found to be suffering from scabies. He was away from his unit for a few weeks but returned to his unit on the 19th March 1917.
The 44th Battalion moved into southern Belgium at Ploegsteert Wood and on the 11th April 1917 William was wounded by shrapnel though it was only a slight wound and he was able to remain on duty.
The 44th Battalion were conducting many patrols through No Mans Land and also trench raids. A major trench raid took place on June 4th 1917 which was just a few days prior to the Messines Offensive commencing. During the raid William was wounded in the hand.
After treatment at the field ambulance he was sent to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. William was then sent to the 13th General Hospital at Boulogne. He only spent a few days here and was then shipped to England.
On arrival in England William was sent to Shornecliffe Military Hospital. He spent nearly a month there and on the 4th July 1917 was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. After two days here, William was granted a furlough from the 6th to 20th July 1917. He then reported into No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs.
On the 16th August 1917 William was transferred into the 59th Railway Operating Company. This unit was then training in England and William's father was a member of the unit.
On the 15th September 1917 the 59th LROC departed Southampton for France.
He served with the 59th Company and then the 5th Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company in France and Belgium through 1917 and 18.
For a time they were responsible for running what was known as the 'Midland Line'. This ran from north of Poperinghe to Regensberg north of Ypres and then to St Julien.
They later operated from near Abbeville and ran services to Boulogne and Dunkirk as they were connected to the main French rail network.
They took supplies from the base depot to closer to the front lines. Though not in the front lines the railway lines were often under long range shellfire and aircraft bombing attacks.
Apart from some Paris and English leave period in 1918, William remained with his unit till the end of the war.
After the Armistice the Railway units were busier than before with the need to return troops and stores that had been stockpiled near the front lines.
He then remained in France on duty with the railways till the end of April 1919. On the 1st May 1919 William returned to England and waited for his embarkation orders to arrive. These finally came through and on the 23rd June 1919 William boarded the transport ship Kongin Louise and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 3rd August 1919.
William was discharged from the AIF on the 17th September 1919.
After being discharged from the AIF William returned home to 'Swan View" 17 Ainslie Road North Fremantle. He also resumed his trade in Ironmongery.
William lived in North Fremantle to the mid 1920's. In 1925 he married Mildred Isabel Prior at Claremont and a daughter Valerie was born.
He then began work as a commercial traveller and the family resided at Bruce Street Claremont. They remained in Claremont till the 1960's.
William's mother died in North Fremantle in 1937 and his father William Prince Bullmore died whilst in NSW in 1944.
William and his family lived in Bruce Street Claremont through to the 1960's.
William died in Nedlands on the 26th September 1967 aged 69. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.