William Henry Goldspink
Stephen LearmonthWilliam Goldspink was born on the 17th of June 1880 in Tumbarumba, NSW. He was the youngest of two sons of John Robert and Elizabeth Maria “Betsy” (nee Dunstan) Goldspink. William also had seven step-siblings from his mother’s previous marriage. By the time that William was 22 both his father and his mother had both passed away.
William enlisted in Tallangatta, Victoria on the 30th of April 1915 and became part of the 6th Reinforcements of the 6th Battalion. He gave his next of kin as his brother Oliver. An interesting addition on his attestation indicated that he had once been fined for “furious riding”. Where, when, and how furious it was, was never recorded. William embarked on HMAT A62 Wandilla at Melbourne on the 17th of June 1915, arriving at Anzac Cove on the 6th of August.
On the 23rd of October he reported sick and was diagnosed as having jaundice. For the next month he was in the No 1 Canadian Stationary Hospital on Lemnos. He embarked on HS (Hospital Ship) Aquitania and sailed to England. He was admitted to the County of London War Hospital at Epsom. Over the next few months he would undertake further training but also be placed in hospital twice (the first for 35 days, the second for 3 days) due to having contracted a venereal disease.
William became part of the 29th Draft of reinforcements arriving at Etaples in France on the 15th of May 1916 and joining the 6th Battalion on the 17th of May. It was only a month later that he was once again sent to hospital sick, this time suffering from scabies. He finally arrived back at the battalion on the 30th of June 1916. William arrived in time to participate in the battalion's first major action in France at Pozieres in the Somme Valley.
It is not known how William died, although his records indicate that he was killed in action. The 6th Battalion’s war diary for that day describes a quiet day in the front line, although the weather was very bad and trenches were caving in due to being water logged.
William has no known grave. He is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Corryong War Memorial, Wabba & Berringama Districts 1914-1918 Honour Roll, the Tumbarumba District Roll of Honour, the Tumbarumba Union Jack School Memorial and the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France). For his service during the First World War, he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
