McWILLIAM, John (1875-1916).JPG)
J McWilliam (War Service).
John McWilliam was born at Richmond on 31 August 1875, the son of Captain Alexander McWilliam and Mrs Annie nee Londrigan, of Victoria Street, Williamstown. He was at the College in 1889. On leaving School he took up pastoral pursuits at Riddell’s Creek until the time of his enlistment (No 2841) on 29 June 1915. He embarked with the 9th Reinforcements to 14 Battalion from Melbourne aboard
HMAT A20 Hororata on 27 September, 1915.
He was killed in action on 11 August 1916, at Pozieres, France. John McWilliam has no known grave - his name is commemorated on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial, France.
The AWM Collection holds a studio portrait of Private John McWilliam, 9th Reinforcements, 14th Battalion, of Riddell’s Creek, taken by the Darge Photographic Company, Broadmeadows, in August 1915.
His brother,
George McWilliam (1878-1968), was also educated at Geelong College.
His half-brother Lt Stirling Alexander McWilliam, 9th Light Horse, of Williamstown, graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and was killed on Gallipoli, at Walker’s Ridge, on 30 May 1915. His name is commemorated on Special Memorial 16 in Walker’s Ridge Cemetery.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. pp73-74 (citing Pegasus; Newton Wanliss, The History of the Fourteenth Battalion AIF: Being the story of the vicissitudes of an Australian unit during the Great War; Australian War Memorial; Photo Pegasus December 1917.)