Jackson, William Ernest
6102 Gunner William Ernest Jackson - 3rd Field Artillery Brigade
William Ernest Jackson was born on the 10th April 1889 in Fremantle to William and Caroline Jackson, being one of eight siblings.
The family was living in Fremantle at 122 Cantonment Street and William was educated locally. After leaving school he took up employment as a Driver.
During these years William had served in the Army Cadets and then began service with the 11th Australian Garrison Artillery in Fremantle.
In 1908 William was married to Emily Florence Johnson (with the children from the marriage, Florence 1908, William 1912 and Ivy 1914).
In 1910 the Jackson's were living at Harvest Road North Fremantle.
William had enlisted in April 1915 and had been assigned to the 16th Company Australian Army Service Corps but was discharged in July 1915 for being medically unfit. On the 6th August 1915 William enlisted again 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 inches tall;
Weight - 170lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-38 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Black.
Upon his successful enlistment, William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the Artillery reinforcements. These men were sent to Victoria to continue their training at the artillery camp at Maribyrnong. William was soon assigned to the 12th Reinforcements to the 3rd Field Artillery Briagde. This group left from Port Melbourne on the transport ship HMAT Wandilla on the 9th November 1915.
The ship set sail for Egypt, arriving there on the 7th December 1915. He was sent to the reinforcement camp and in March 1916 was taken of strength of the 1st Division Artillery reinforcements. He went to France with them on the 1st April 1916.
He spent several weeks at the base depot camp at Etaples and was taken on strength of the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade on the 15th May 1916. He served with his new unit for a month but then fell ill and was sent to England to recover.
William spent the next year in England going between the base camps and going absent without leave. He was court martialled and declared an illegal absentee before he reported back in July 1917. He went absent again in October 1917 and was apprehended a few weeks later. He was court martialed and sentenced to 120 days detention at Lewes Detention Barracks.
It appears William's absences revolved around getting married in England in 1917 despite already being married. He was married to Isobel Bowyer and daughter Gladys born 1918 in Farnham Surrey.
After his detention period was over William returned to the Base Depot Camp and returned to France in May 1918. He then served with the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade through to December 1918 when he was sent back to England. William requested a leave period until April 1919 which was granted but he never reported back to AIF HQ and was declared an illegal absentee. He was discharged on the 21st July 1920 as the result of being an illegal absentee.
William had started a new life in England but did not let AIF HQ or his family in Australia where he was. His records contain letter in 1923 between Army HQ and his family in Fremantle regarding William's whereabouts.
After his daughter Gladys was born in 1918, another daughter Joan followed on 1st January 1920 in Chertsey Surrey England, then Geoffrey on the 16th August 1922 in Chertsey Surrey, and on the 16th March 1924 Barabra was born in Farnham Surrey.
In 1921 William and his new family were living in Byfleet Surrey England.
He remained in England, and in the 1930's was living Dunelly Surrey England where he was a postman.
William's parents and siblings moved to NSW in the 1920's; his father died 7th December 1928 in Sydney and his mother 11th May 1944 in Melbourne.
William died on the 5th January 1962 in Guildford Surrey.