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Gilly or Bill was a miner who listed his address as Redhead via Newcastle
NSW. As Captain of the Redhead Surf Club he would have been
respected within the village. He enlisted on 11 September 1915.
William, or Bill as he saw himself, was born at Minmi and the 5 ft 9 in
142 lb soldier described himself on his enlistment paper as a nationalised
British Subject. Due to injury on active service he received a pension. He
had 2 children, Herbert John and Vida Gilchrist. Herbert was named after
Bill’s cousin Herbert Bradley.
He was 25 when he embarked on his transport ship from Sydney on 16th
February 1916. His rank on enlistment was as a Private in the 30
th
Battalion 3
rd
Reinforcement. After a stop in Alexandria he embarked for
Marseilles, France.While here he was fined a month's pay for
disobedience. He returned to Australia on 31st October 1917 after
receiving a bad gunshot wound to his knee. Bill’s first major battle was
The Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916. He had spent several months in
Brighton Hospital but never fully recovered. He was fortunate to miss
other major battles his brigade was involved in, at Bullecourt, Polygon
Wood and The Battle of Amiens in 1918 to prevent the possible success
in the enemy’s attempt to overrun the AIF in a major offensive.
After the war Bill worked as a SP bookie around the local area.
Fromelles is “famous” for the mass burial with full military honours by
the German forces of over 250 Commonwealth soldiers in mass graves.
David Dial, gives a very comprehensive picture of those killed including
eg Rank – Private, Surname – Bradley, Given names – Herbert,
Town/Suburb – Redhead, Location of death – Belgium,
Cemetery/Memorial – Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, in
Where Heroes
Sleep – Hunter Valley Fallen of the Great War
.
Dial’s extensive knowledge of local Hunter Valley soldiers was utilised
when drawing up the list of names for the recently constructed Newcastle
ANZAC Memorial Walk.
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