William GOSLING †
Service
number: 4728. Age:
18 years 10 months. Enlisted: 30 Aug 1915.
Occupation: Farmer. Next of kin: (mother) Mrs Emma Gosling.
Address
on enlistment: Bribie Island.
Service Summary:
1 Sep 1915: 12 reinforcement 26 Battalion.
12 Apr 1916: Embarked on RMS Mooltan from Sydney.
30 Sep 1916: Taken on strength 26
Battalion.
“In early 1917, 26 Battalion joined the
follow-up of the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line and attacked at
Warlencourt (1-2 Mar) and Lagincourt (26 Mar). For his valorous actions at
Lagincourt, Captain Percy Cherry was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
On 3 May, the Battalion was also involved in the second attempt to breach the
Hindenburg Line defences around Bullecourt. Later that year the focus of the
AIF’s operations switched to Belgium. There, 26 Battalion fought in the battle
of Menin Road on 20 Sep and participated in the capture of Broodseinde Ridge on
4 Oct 1917.
Like most AIF battalions, the 26th fought
to turn back the German spring offensive in April 1918, and in the lull that
followed mounted "peaceful penetration" operations to snatch portions
of the German front line. In one such operation in Monument Wood on 14 July the
26th Battalion captured the first German tank to fall into Allied hands - No.
506 "Mephisto". In another, on 17 July, Lieutenant Albert Borrella
was awarded the Victoria Cross. Later in the year the 26th participated in the
great offensive that began on 8 August, its most notable engagement being an
attack east of Mont St Quentin on 2 September. The Battalion's last action of
the war was the capture of Lormisset, part of the operation to breach the
Beaurevoir Line, on 3 October 1918. The 26th Battalion was disbanded in May
1919.”[2]
20 Sep 1917: Wounded in action, Belgium.
8 Aug 1918: Killed in action, France.
Buried Villers Bretonneux Military Cemetery.
Roll
of Honour: William Gosling's name is located at panel 107 in the Commemorative Area at the
Australian War Memorial in Canberra.[3]
Villers
Bretonneux Military Cemetery [4]
Life
Summary:
William Gosling (1896-1918) was the youngest
son of George Gosling (1856-1934) and Emma Gosling and was born 17 Oct 1896 at
Brisbane. When William Gosling enlisted in 1915, his father
was keeper of the front light on Bribie Island and the Gosling family home was
next door to the light tower on the northern end of Bribie Island.
William Gosling, aged 21 years 10 months, was killed in action in France on 8 Aug
1918. He was missed by his family as can be seen in the following poignant poem
published in Aug 1919 in remembrance by his sister Ada Traill nee Gosling and
her husband Dave Traill.
There's a lonely grave in France, where our brave
young hero sleeps,
There's a cottage home in Queensland, where his loved
ones sit and weep;
We think of him in silence, and his name we oft
recall.
But there's nothing left to answer but his photo on
the wall.
GOSLING.
In sad but loving memory of our dear brother, Pte. William Gosling,
who was killed in action at Villers Bretonneux on Aug 8, 1918, aged 21 years
and 10 months. Inserted by his loving sister and brother-in-law. Ada and Dave.[5]
[1] Postcard from National Museum of Australia http://collectionsearch.nma.gov.au/object/179988 [public domain image NMA 1986.0117.4684]
[2] Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51466
[3] Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1729793
[4] Photo from Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
[5]
Source: The Brisbane Courier Mail, Fri 8
Aug 1919, p. 6 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20377206
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