Pte
Wesley William Dewar
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1895 |
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Place of birth: Natimuk, Victoria, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Day laborer |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 6321 |
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Enlistment date: 26/09/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Horsham, Victoria, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 23rd Bn. (Victoria) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Dairy Wood, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: IV Row: B Grave: 10 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private Wesley William Dewar served in the Australian Infantry 23rd Battalion, part of the 6th Australian Brigade, of the 2nd Australian Division.
The 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. It's ’ask was to cover the right flank of the 66th Division and it attacked with the 5th Australian Brigade, on the left and the 6th Australian Brigade on the left of the divisional front. The attack of the 6th Australian Brigade was carried by the 22nd, 24th, 21st and 23rd Battalions.
Zero hour, was at 5.20 a.m. The supporting artillery barrage was very light and lacked precision, leaving most German positions unscathed. Nevertheless as the men of the 23rd Battalion advanced they encountered little frontal opposition. However there was heavy machine-gun and rifle fire coming from the right flank in the vicinity of Daisy and Busy Woods, causing approximately half of the casualties of the Battalion on that day. Dairy wood was cleared by the Battalion of all German resistance. When moving onwards the Battalion lost its direction and veered north, away from Dairy Wood, and came in behind the 17th Battalion, of the 5th Australian Brigade. As they advanced they established posts to guard the flank ending at their 2nd objective at Rhine, a fortified farm ruin on the 6th Brigade’s left, thereby guarding the flank of the 5th Brigade. The Battalion held their positions and was eventually relieved from the frontline during the night by the Australian Infantry 49th Battalion.
Private Wesley William Dewar was killed in action on the 9th of October. According to a witness testimony of Lance Corporal Finlay, Private Wesley William Dewar was wounded at the very beginning of the attack. He was hit about 300 yards from the jumping off line, and crawled into a shell hole, where he probably died of his wounds. Private Wesley William Dewar was buried in the field, just west of Dairy Wood. He possibly fell, due to the German rifle- and machine-gun fire coming from Daisy and Busy Woods. His remains were exhumed after the war and he was interred at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
The 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. It's ’ask was to cover the right flank of the 66th Division and it attacked with the 5th Australian Brigade, on the left and the 6th Australian Brigade on the left of the divisional front. The attack of the 6th Australian Brigade was carried by the 22nd, 24th, 21st and 23rd Battalions.
Zero hour, was at 5.20 a.m. The supporting artillery barrage was very light and lacked precision, leaving most German positions unscathed. Nevertheless as the men of the 23rd Battalion advanced they encountered little frontal opposition. However there was heavy machine-gun and rifle fire coming from the right flank in the vicinity of Daisy and Busy Woods, causing approximately half of the casualties of the Battalion on that day. Dairy wood was cleared by the Battalion of all German resistance. When moving onwards the Battalion lost its direction and veered north, away from Dairy Wood, and came in behind the 17th Battalion, of the 5th Australian Brigade. As they advanced they established posts to guard the flank ending at their 2nd objective at Rhine, a fortified farm ruin on the 6th Brigade’s left, thereby guarding the flank of the 5th Brigade. The Battalion held their positions and was eventually relieved from the frontline during the night by the Australian Infantry 49th Battalion.
Private Wesley William Dewar was killed in action on the 9th of October. According to a witness testimony of Lance Corporal Finlay, Private Wesley William Dewar was wounded at the very beginning of the attack. He was hit about 300 yards from the jumping off line, and crawled into a shell hole, where he probably died of his wounds. Private Wesley William Dewar was buried in the field, just west of Dairy Wood. He possibly fell, due to the German rifle- and machine-gun fire coming from Daisy and Busy Woods. His remains were exhumed after the war and he was interred at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Connection to other soldiers 1
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Alvan William Pasfield
Cousin |
Sources 5
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23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/40/25). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Austin R., Forward Undeterred, The History of the 23rd Battalion 1915-1918, (McCrae, Slouch Hat Publications, 1998), pg. 132-136. Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10087212 Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, DEWAR W W). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 104-106. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480188 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=aed46710-7882-4903-a63a-99e4ae246131 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7416886 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=78385 |