William Isaac Little

Personal Information
Date of Birth	8 Feb 1893
Place of Birth	Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Death	5 Oct 1965, aged 72
Place of Death	Claremont, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	22 years, 11 months
Description	5'4" (1.63m) tall; weight 136 lbs (61.7 kg); fair complexion, hazel eyess, fair hair.
Occupation	labourer
Religion	Church of England
Address	'Spring Farm', Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father Mr Albert Little
Military Information
Reg Number	5138
Date of Enlistment	31 Jan 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	11th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement, D Company / 3rd Brigade, 1st Division
Date of Embarkation	31 Mar 1916 - 24 Apr 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A9 Shropshire
Date of Return	1 Jun 1919 - 8 Jul 1919
Ship Returned On	SS Somali
Fate	Wounded in Action 3 Jun 1918 (gassed) Returned to Australia
Monument	Jarrahdale
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Electoral Roll entry - 1916 Bush Landing, Jarrahdale, horse driver.

War Service

Entered camp on 31 Jan 1916, and on 14 Feb 1916 he was allocated to the 16th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion, travelling with them to Suez.

On 7 Jun 1916 Bill embarked on HMT Tunisian in Alexandria for Mareilles in France, arriving there on 3 Jun 1916. Entered the 1st Division's base Depot in Étaples on 7 Jun 1016, before being transferred to the 11th Battalion on 29 Jun 1916 where his immediate duty was as Batman to Lieutenant AJ Long in D Company. With Long's transfer to the 3rd training Battalion in England, Bill also went with him.

On 7 Nov 1917 Bill was transferred to the 2nd Training Battalion in Sutton Veny, and on 12 May 1918 to the 1st Training Battalion. On 14 May 1918 he had again travelled to France and on 19 May 1918 he rejoined the 11th Battalion who at the time were alternating between support and front lines east of Hazebrouck near Méteren.

On 3 Jun 1918 Bill was a victim of gas shells as described by an extract from the unit's war diary.

Mont de Merris 3rd. .........D Company had 14 men gassed on the way in.

The battalion was engaged in a Battalion sized raid on the German front line trenches.

Bill was seen first by the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance and treated for exposure to gas, before being passed to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station, and the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Boulogne. On 12 Jul 1918 he was transferred to the 1st Convalescent Depot and two days later to the 10th Convalescent Depot also in Boulogne. On 26 Jul 1918 he was released to the division's base depot and he rejoined the 11th Battalion on 12 Sep 1918.

On 24 Apr 1919 Bill embarked for the UK, landing at Southampton and a month later was on his way home.

Discharged 5th Military District 22 Aug 1919.

Post War

In 1928 Bill married Charlotte Jane Chisholm at Jarrahdale. Charlotte died in Claremont on 15 Feb 1970, aged 73. Electoral Roll entries - 1922 - 1931 'Nareena', 4 Warwick street, Claremont, wood merchant; 1936 - 1937 Wattle avenue, Claremont; 1943 - 1963 they had returned to 4 Warwick street, Claremont.