Private William JOHNSEN
May 1893 – 26 Apr 1918
William JOHNSEN was born in about May 1893 in Copenhagen Denmark, the son of Mr and Mrs A. Johnsen, Mr. JOHNSEN was an Architect, in Copenhagen. William had a brother Julius who was in the Navy in Denmark.
William had moved to AUSTRALIA and was living in Ramco near Waikerie. On 2nd February 1915, William left Waikerie joined the Australian Infantry Force completing his attestation that day. He had already been naturalised as an Australian (British) citizen and listed his employment as a Drover in his enlistment papers. He also listed his brother, Julius in Denmark and a good friend Christian CHRISTIANSEN of RAMCO (who it would appear may have also been Danish in origin) as his next of kin and executors. It I believed he was also a friend of Jorgan Christian Jensen (also a Dane, who was at Morgan and worked on the river and later was awarded the VC)
On enlistment he was described as “21 years and 9 months old, 5’ 3 and 3/4” tall with a fair complexion, grey eyes and fair hair”. William entered training immediately.
On the 20th of April 1915, Private William JOHNSEN, as part of the 5th reinforcements for the 10th Infantry Brigade, sailed for overseas service aboard HMAT A20 “HORORATA”. On the 11th July 1915 William was taken onto strength of the 10th Battalion on Gallipoli. In September 1915 he was evacuated from the Gallipoli shore due to illness (dysentery) and would not return to Gallipoli before the evacuation. He re-joined the 10th Battalion on 7th December 1915 in Egypt.
On the 27th March 1916, William and the Battalion joined the British Expeditionary Force on the terrible battlefields in FRANCE.
After months of trench warfare and slaughter, in a very wet winter, William received a gunshot wound in his right hand on 25th July 1916 and was evacuated “Wounded in Action”. The 15th January 1917 saw William ‘discharged to duty” from the hospital. Back in FRANCE William was treated at different times for pyrexia and trench fever. The fighting and conditions at the front was some of the worst ever witnessed.
In early 1918, Russian resistance on the Eastern Front collapsed in the wake of the October Revolution and, as a result, the Germans were able to transfer a large number of troops to the Western Front. This greatly improved the German strength and in March, they launched their Spring Offensive. With the Germans making rapid gains in early April, many Australian units, including Williams (10th Batt), were thrown into the line to blunt the attack.
The 10th Batt moved to near Stazeel, Belgium – and on the 19th April they were near Meteren at “Besace Farm South”. (Occupied by the British for most of the war, the village of Meteren fell into German hands on 9 April 1918 during fierce fighting of the ‘Battle of the Lys’). (An aerial photograph of Besace Farm and surrounds taken after the battle is attached below, showing the intensity of bombardment on the landscape).
On the 23rd April the 10th Batt took their position again in the trenches. On the 24th & 25th April another attempt was made to retake Meteren (Referred to in the unit diary as the “Metren Stunt”). During this time the trenches were shelled heavily and shell shrapnel perforated Williams abdomen. He was taken to a dressing station and from there to the 13th Casualty Clearing Station near Ebblinghem France but despite their best care, he died on 26th April 1918.
Buried the same day, it was 3 years and 6 days after sailing from Australia to war. His death was added into the deaths of servicemen listed in the papers daily. (see Casualty List 402 below)
William’s memorial plaque, Memorial Scroll, 1914-1915 Star Medal, British War Medal and a Victory Medal were issued to his brother, Julius, some years after the war ended. Julius applied for a pension for Williams mother in Denmark and eventually this was granted.
William was buried at the Ebblinghem Military Cemetery in France (pictured). He is also commemorated on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour. After the war, William was incorrectly recorded on the Waikerie Memorial Institute boards as “W JOHANSTON” and again in error was not listed on the HONOUR ROLL of those who made the Supreme Sacrifice or in the WAIKERIE War Memorial Gardens. William is recorded correctly on the RAMCO Honour Roll which is held by the WAIKERIE RSL and overlooks the Museum. William is included here as he left his home in RAMCO to answer his nations call and in doing so paid the supreme sacrifice.
“Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends.”
LEST WE FORGET
