William Young – 16th Battalion, Australian Infantry

 Private William Young – 16^th Battalion, Australian Infantry

Birth and Family Background

William Young was born in 1893 at Mumbles, the son of George Young and Mary Young.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Young family were living at 3 Tichborne, Oystermouth. George Young (46), born in Bristol, was employed as a gardener (not domestic), while his wife Mary (45), born in Somerset, managed the household.

Their children were John (14), Lizzie, and William (8).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 5 Glovers Row, Mumbles. George Young (56) was working as a jobbing gardener, and Mary (55) managed the home.

Children still living at home were John (24), employed as a mason and labourer, and William (18), a general labourer.

Emigration to Australia

Only a few years before the outbreak of war, William Young emigrated to Australia, travelling to South Australia to assist his uncle on a farm at James Town. By the time of his enlistment, he was residing at Morphettville, South Australia.

Military Service

Attestation Papers

William Young enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in September 1914. His attestation papers have survived, confirming that he joined the 16^th Battalion, Australian Infantry, one of the early battalions raised for overseas service.

In August 1915, the 16^th Battalion was serving on the Gallipoli Peninsula as part of the 4^th Australian Infantry Brigade, 2^nd Australian Division. By this stage of the campaign, the fighting had settled into a grim stalemate marked by trench warfare, sniping, and frequent local engagements.

Following the major assaults of early August, including the fierce fighting at Lone Pine, the period around 18^th August 1915 involved intense defensive operations. Australian units were required to hold recently captured positions under constant threat from Ottoman artillery, snipers, and bombing attacks. Trenches were overcrowded and shallow, the heat was extreme, and disease and exhaustion were widespread.

On 18^th August 1915, the 16^th Battalion was engaged in holding front-line trenches near the Lone Pine sector, where casualties continued to be sustained daily despite the absence of major offensives. Many soldiers killed during this period were buried where they fell or lost in the destruction caused by shellfire, leaving no known grave.

Death and Commemoration

It was during these operations that Private William Young was killed in action on 18^th August 1915.

William Young
Lone Pine Memorial, Turkey
credit - findagrave

He has no known grave, and his name is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial, Turkey, which honours Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died during the Gallipoli Campaign and whose burial places are unknown