Home

East Melbourne Historical Society

Drop-down menu

  • Articles
  • People
    • Notable Women
    • WW1 soldiers and nurses
    • WW1 nurses
  • History
    • Milestones
    • Buildings
    • Community
    • People
  • Gallery
    • Maps
    • MMBW plans
    • Abortion battles
    • Bishopscourt
    • Bishopscourt garden
    • Bomb shelter
    • Buildings
    • Cairns Memorial Church
    • Early Melbourne
    • Football
    • Jean Campbell
    • Lanes
    • Margaret McLean
      • Family and home
      • Female suffrage
      • Clippings - Australia
      • Clippings - Britain
      • Clippings - USA
    • Personalities
    • Yarra Park
      • History
      • Desecration
    • Yarra River
  • Catalogue
    • Browse and Search
    • Catalogue table view
    • Site images
  • Images
  • Society
    • Activities
    • Newsletters
    • Tributes
      • John Barrie Wykes
      • Wynne McGrath
    • Publications
      • Heritage Matters
      • What's in a Name
    • About
Home
    • Home
    • Search
    • Forum
    • Contact

BERKELEY, William Henry

Surnames

  • Berkeley

Subjects

  • WW1
Author: 
Jill Fenwick
WW1 Roll of Honour: 
Roll of Honour
Family name: 
BERKELEY
Given names: 
William Henry
Gender: 
Male
Religion: 
Roman Catholic
Date of birth: 
1 February 1897
Place of birth: 
Birth Richmond
, Australia
37° 49' 26.0616" S, 144° 59' 23.046" E
East Melbourne addresses
Year: 
1914
1916
13 Agnes St.
, Jolimont
, Australia
31° 56' 49.8084" S, 115° 48' 44.5284" E
Military service: 
WW1
Regimental number: 
3014
Rank: 
Private
Military units: 
8th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
Military casualty: 
Died of wounds
Date of death: 
1916
Place of death: 
Heally Casualty Clearing Station
, Corbie, near Amiens
, France
Decorations and medallions: 
British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1914-15 Star
Decorations and medallions: 
Plaque and Memorial Scroll
Biographical notes: 

William Henry Berkeley was aged 18 years and 6 months when he enlisted on 13 July, 1915 and was attached to the 8th Battalion, 1oth Reinforcements. he was by trade a joiner and had served a six year apprenticeship with H. Beauchamp, Lonsdale St., Melbourne. He had also trained with the Citizen Military Forces for four years, training at the Drill Hall in East Melbourne, on the corner of Victoria Parade and Powlett St. He embarked on the HMAT RMS 'Osterley' on 29 September, 1915.

The 8th Battalion was one of the very earliest units to be raised for the AIF, within two weeks of the declaration of war. It was recruited mainly from rural Victoria and with the 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions formed the Second Brigade. By 1916, when William Berkeley joined, they had already fought in the Anzac Landing as part of the second wave, taken part in the attack on the village of Krithia at Cape Helles, then in the Battle of Lone Pine. From here they were transferred to the Western Front, and on July 16, 1916, fought at Pozieres in the Somme Valley and then at Ypres, before returning to the Somme front for the bitter winter. It was probably at Ypres that William Berkeley joined them. He was unloaded at Marseilles, then taken on strength in August 1916, but spent most of that month in hospital with neuralgia. By September, he was fighting in Belgium, but on 11 November, 1916 he was in the Somme Valley, France, where he was fatally wounded in action. Described as either a gunshot wound to the buttocks or to the abdomen, he was stretchered out to No 38 Casualty Clearing Station, but died the next day, on 12 November, 1916. William Berkeley was buried at Healy Station Cemetery,  2.5. miles NE of  Corbie, France. His name is listed on the Roll of Honour, Panel 52 of the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

William Berkeley had incorrectly recorded his address on enlistment as 30 Agnes Street and most correspondence from the military departments dealing with his death in the fieldwas sent there. But from the beginning to the end, Mrs Rosa Berkeley's address was clearly 13 Agnes Street, as witnessed by the letters she wrote, both at the time of his enlistment and in correspondence about his death. She is also listed as living at 13 Agnes St. on the Electoral Rolls for 1914 and 1919, though by 1924, she had moved to 139 Hoddle St., North Richmond.

July 13th 1915
13 Agnes Street
Jolimont

This is to certify that I give my consent willingly for my Son William Berkeley to serve his King and Country on Active Service

Signed: Rosa Berkeley

Annotated in different handwriting:

The whereabouts of my father are unknown.

Signed: W.H. Berkeley

Letter to the deceased's mother on 4 Aug 1920 asking if the deceased had any nearer blood relation than herself, for instance, his father . (See attachment)

References: 
AWM Embarkation Roll
NAA search
Letter of Consent from Mother
Letter to Mother asking if the deceased had a nearer blood relation
Acknowledgments: 

National Archives of Australia, Enlistment Records

Australian War Memorial, Unit Histories, Roll of Honour

Ancestry.com, Electoral Rolls

Commonwealth War Graves Commissi0on, www.cwgc.org.au

Location map:
Javascript is required to view this map.
  • 5263 reads
  • Share this
  • PrintPrint
  • EmailEmail

User login

  • Join EMHS
  • Request new password
  • Privacy
  • Membership
  • About
  • Contact
  • Guidelines