Kuser, William Frederick
5732 Private William Frederick Kuser - 44th Battalion AIF
William Frederick Kuser was born in Beaconsfield Fremantle in 1895 to Conrad and Mary Kuser, being one of seven siblings, with, Mary 1888, Thomas 1890, Lillian 1892, Edith 1897, Adelaide 1900 and Harry 1903.
They lived in Broome Street North Fremantle till around 1904/05 and then moved to Buckland Hill/Cottesloe. William had been educated at North Fremantle Primary School.
His father Conrad had died in Fremantle on the 1st December 1903 as a result of an accident at the Locomotive Yards in Fremantle. As reported in the newspaper;
William's mother remarried three years later in 1906 to William Martin. They family then went to live at Gibbon Street Cottesloe Beach. William soon found employment as a Horse Driver
He was married in 1916 to Annie Ellen Fairs and they took up residence in Bayswater.
On the 27th February 1916 William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found as fit for enlistment, with the medical examiner recording William's physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 2 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 113lbs;
Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Brown.
After his successful enlistment, William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was sent to No.53 Training Depot. He spent a month being taken through basic infantry training and in April 1916 was assigned to the 18th Reinforcements to the 11th battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months.
On the 15th July 1916 William and his group entrained to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Ajana. The ship then set sail for England, reaching Plymouth on the 1st September 1916. He was initially sent to the 3rd Training Battalion at Durrington, but was soon transferred to the 44th Battalion at Larkhill Camp. He trained with the 44th Battalion till the 14th October 1916 but was found to be medically unfit, so was retained to the 11th training Battalion.
William would be in England for the next nine months, either at the 11th Training Battalion at Larkhill and No.4 Command Depot Camp at Wareham. On the 2nd July 1917 William was sent across to France and went into the 3rd Australian Division Base Depot Camp at Le Havre. He spent a few weeks here and was then taken on strength of the 44th Battalion on the 18th July 1917. The 44th Battalion were then in the vicinity of Messines.
On the 31st July 1917 the 44th Battalion took part in operations around the village of Warneton. William came through unscathed and the Battalion remained in the Messines sector through to the end of August 1917.
He subsequently served through the Third Battle of Ypres from September to November 1917 seeing action at Zonnebeke, Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendaele.
From December 1917 to March 1918 the 44th Battalion held the line in Belgium south east of Ypres. On the 22nd February 1918 William was sent on a two week furlough to England. He reported back three days late from leave and as a punishment had to undergo 4 days of Field Punishment No.2. which often involved extra duties and hard labour.
As a result of the German offensive on March 21st 1918 which broke through the British front line further south, the Australian Divisions were sent to the Somme to help stop the German advance. The 44th Battalion were sent to an area near the Somme River at Sailly-le-Sec and Sailly Laurette. The 44th Battalion advanced till they met the Germans in the field near Sailly Laurette and though the German fire stopped the 44th from advancing, the Germans were also stopped.
William and the 44th Battalion were in this sector for the next few months. On the 4th July 1918 the 44th Battalion took part in the successful capture of Hamel village. William came through this action unscathed.
On the 8th August 1918 the 44th Battalion took part in the successful advance from the Villers-Bretonneux front and they took their objectives. Two days after this advance on the 10th August, William was evacuated sick. He had influenza and was sent to the 2nd Canadian General Hospital. He was a patient here till the 17th August 1918. He was then shipped to England and was admitted to Reading War Hospital. William was here through to the 25th September 1918. He was then sent to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford where he spent the next week.
William was given a medical check and was then granted a two week furlough from the 2nd October 1916. On his return from his leave William, three days late for which he was fined 6 days pay; was sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott. He was soon assigned a berth on a transport ship home.
On the 18th December 1918 William boarded the transport ship Aeneas and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 27th January 1919. He was then discharged from the AIF on the 31st March 1919.
His family were very glad to see him return as his brother Thomas had died at Bullecourt France on the 11th April 1917.
After his return home his sister Mary Bertha died in Fremantle March 1921.
William and Annie then started a family, with the children born, Ellen in 1920, Bertha in 1924, and Thomas 1926. Sadly Thomas died in 1926.
The family were living at Collier road Bayswater from 1920's onwards.
William died on the 27th September 1965 aged 70. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery and the ashes were placed into the family grave at plot Anglican CA 0193