Brown, William Cyril

7029A Private William Cyril Brown - 16th Battalion AIF

Willian Cyril Brown was born on the 29th March 1897 in Fremantle WA to William and Mary Brown. He had five siblings, with, Evelyn (1894), Leslie (1899), Elsie (1906), Myra (1908) and Frank (1912).

The family lived in Jackson Street North Fremantle and William was educated at North Fremantle primary School and then became a Grocers Assistant. During this time he also saw service in the 86A Cadets of the Citizens Military Forces.

On the 17th May 1917 in Fremantle William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment and the medical officer recorded his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 1 inch tall;

Weight - 109lbs;

Chest Measurement - 30-33 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment, William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp. After a few weeks undergoing basic infantry training in the depot camp, on the 1st June 1917 William was transferred into the 21st Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion.

He trained with them in WA for the next six weeks and they then received their embarkation orders. They were entrained for Albany where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Port Melbourne. The ship then set sail for England, reaching Liverpool on the 16th September 1917. The men were then disembarked and sent to the 7th Training Battalion at Rollestone Camp on the Salisbury Plains.

After two months of training there, in November 1917 he was transferred to the 6th Training Battalion at Fovant Camp. He would train here through to January 1918. On the 4th January 1918 William went absent without leave for four days, coming back to camp on the 8th January. As a punishment he was confined to camp for 14 days and had to forfeit 16 days pay.

On the 23rd January 1918 William was at last sent over to France. He was now re-assigned units and would be joining the 16th Battalion AIF. He joined them in Belgium on the 29th January 1918. The 16th Battalion were then holding the line south east of Ypres near Hollebeke.

When the Germans broke through the British front lines further south on the 21st March 1918, the Australian divisions were sent from Belgium to the Somme to help stop the German advance. The 16th Battalion were sent to Hebuterne and with the assistance of New Zealand and British troops, they stopped the Germans in that area and then began to go on the offensive, conducting raids and forays to put the Germans on the back foot.

After a few weeks at Hebuterne the 16th Battalion was sent to the Villers-Bretonneux sector and on the 13th April 1918 William was assigned a role as a runner between the 16th Battalion and 4th Brigade HQ.

On July 4th 1918, the 16th Battalion took part in the successful capture of Hamel, William being in the thick of the action, talking messages from the front line companies to HQ.

Thankfully William survived the successful Hamel action, and the subsequent advance from the Villers Bretonneux front on the 8th August 1918. The 16th battalion were in action from August 8th until September 18th 1918 and fought in several successful actions.

William came through this time safely and remained with the 16th Battalion until after the Armistice. When the Germans withdrew behind their own borders, the Australian units were sent into what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France.

On the 18th February 1919 William was granted two weeks leave to England, returning to his unit if France on the 4th March 1919. He then remained in France until the 9th May 1919. He was sent back to the UK where he remained in AIF camps for the next several weeks.

On the 12th July 1919 William boarded the transport ship City of Exeter and set sail for home, disembarking in Fremantle on the 16th August 1919. William was discharged from the AIF on the 16th September 1919. William then returned home to North Fremantle.

William got married on the 31st May 1922 at St Mary's Church North Fremantle to Grace Johnson.

They would have six children, with, Grace 1923, James 1925; Kenneth 1926, Alan 1928, Cyril 1930 and Frank 1933.

In the 1920's the family lived at 6 Elizabeth St North Fremantle and William was working as a shop assistant. (Elizabeth St North Fremantle was renamed Corkhill Street in the 1960's)

In the 1930's the family moved to Yeovil Crescent East Fremantle/Bicton and William lived there for the rest of his life.

William died on the 20th March 1981 aged 83. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.

(Photo courtesy of family ancestry site)