WILLIAMS, Arthur and George

Arthur and George were the sons of Edmund and Mary Williams.  Arthur was born in 1894, George 1896 and their births registered at Tenterfield NSW.  The brothers joined the First Contingent of The Kurrajongs at Moree on 13 January 1916. Arthur was a twenty one year old Motor driver; George a nineteen year old Labourer at Moree.  As George was under age, his Mother signed the enlistment papers giving permission for him to serve overseas.

The brothers were members of the 33rd Battalion, C Company which trained at Armidale and Rutherford prior to sailing from Australia on HMAT A74 Marathon in May 1916.  After nine weeks at sea, the Battalion arrived in England where further training took place at Salisbury Plain until they were sent to France in November.

Arthur was Killed in Action on 17 October 1917 at Passchendale and, as his body was not found, his name is among the thousands inscribed on the Menin Gate memorial at Ypres, Belgium.  

George was wounded in action in April 1918 and invalided back to England where he was hospitalised at Birmingham suffering from shell gas poisoning.  It was seven months before he rejoined his unit in France.  He remained there until April 1919 when he was transferred back to England.  Shortly afterwards he was in hospital again, this time suffering from influenza.  In September he embarked on the transport ship Port Sydney to return to Australia where he was discharged in January 1920.  George died in Sydney in 1964.