William Henry Wheeler

William was born in 1895 in Albury, New South Wales. He was the eldest of five surviving children of William James and Emma (née Jensen) Wheeler.  

He enlisted in the AIF at Holsworthy Camp near Sydney on the 13th of October 1915. At the time he was a 21 year-old labourer living in Bethanga, Victoria. He was allocated the Regimental Number of 3702 and ranked as Private. After initial training he was posted to the 8th Reinforcements for 20th Battalion. The unit embarked for overseas service from Sydney on the 20th of December, aboard HMAT A60 Aeneas.

Soon after he arrived in Egypt William was briefly transferred to the newly raised 56th Battalion before transferring again, as a gunner in the 51st Battery, 13th Field Artillery Brigade at Tel-el-Kebir. The Brigade embarked on the Tunisian on the 16th of June 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles in southern France one week later. 

The Brigade left Marseille on the 24th of June and travelled the over 900 kilometre journey to Le Havre by train, arriving on the 27th of that month. After unloading all of their equipment and wagons they received  310 horses from the Remount unit. William’s 51st battery left Havre on the 2nd of July at 1600 hours. The movement of all batteries in the Brigade, six in all, was staggered to prevent congestion on the roads. The weather during the following week was mainly fine which made the Brigade's progress easier.

By the 17th of July all of the batteries had established themselves at Croix Les Cormez, approximately 10 kilometres from the Belgium border, and had undertaken some initial firing to register the guns. To assist the infantry in the coming offensive each battery (which consisted of 4 guns) was given 100 shells in order to try and cut the German wire. By the following day the forward artillery observer, who was situated in the trenches with the infantry, reported that the wire had been “well cut”. The 51st Battery received retaliatory fire from the German guns and it was most likely during this counter battery fire that William was killed.

William was buried at the Rue-David Military Cemetery (Plot 1, Row E, Grave 40), Fleurbaix, France. The Rev. Thomas Howell, attached to the 6th King's Scottish Light Infantry took the service. He is also remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Bethanga Soldiers Memorial Hall Roll of Honour, and the Towong Shire Boer War and WW1 Memorial in the Memorial Hall in Tallangatta. For his service during the First World War, William was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

In August of 1917 a small package wrapped in brown paper arrived at the Cordial Factory in Lower Bethanga. It was addressed to Mr W.J. Wheeler and contained 3 metal cigarette cases (1 damaged),a scapula, a wallet, 2 keys, a chain, 2 identity discs and, found in the effects of 3264 Gnr Stevens G.E,.9 coins and a religious book.  They were all the worldly possessions of the late 3702 Gunner William Henry Wheeler. 

For many families the war did not end on the 11th of November, 1918. On the 26th of April 1927, nearly eleven years after William had been killed in action, his father wrote to Base Records inquiring as to what had happened to the photos of his son’s grave that he had ordered as they had yet to arrive. It only took a week for the reply. It stated that “it is not the intention of the Government to supply next-of-kin with photographs of the completed war grave. The remittance to which you refer to was in payment of the persons [sic] inscription fee and does not include the provision of a photograph also. Should you desire to obtain a photograph … will furnish three (3) postcard sized prints for the sum of seven shillings and sixpence …” Not only did they have to pay for a photograph but they had to pay for an inscription on the headstone!