Year of birth: 1896

Place of birth: Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Profession: Clerk

Country: Australia

Force: Australian Imperial Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 807B

Enlistment date: 31/01/1916

Enlistment place: Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia

Units:  —  Australian Infantry, 5th Bn.  (Last known unit)  —  Australian Infantry, 37th Bn.

Date of death: 04/10/1917

Place of death: Garter Point, Zonnebeke, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 21

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

On the 4th of October, the Battle of Broodseinde was fought. The 2nd Australian Infantry Brigade carried out a mission, with the goal to capture the positions of the enemy as far as the Line Celtic (D.29.d.40.45.) to D.29.b.10.60.. The objectives were the red and blue line. The 8th Bn. A.I.F. had to get to the red line, the 6th and 7th Bn. A.I.F. had to reach the blue line. The 5th Bn. A.I.F. was in reserve. At midnight on the night of the 3rd/4th October, the locations of the various units were as followed: the Brigade headquarters were located at Westhoek Ridge (J1.d.75.10), the 5th Bn. A.I.F. was positioned at the Front Line, with headquarters at J.7.b.6.5., the 6th Bn. A.I.F. was located at Westhoek Ridge, with headquarters at J.7.b.6.8., the 7th Bn. A.I.F. found itself at Westhoek Ridge, with headquarters at J.7.b.5.5. and the 8th Bn. A.I.F. was positioned at Anzac Ridge with headquarters at J.9.a.6.5. The 8th Bn. A.I.F. reached the red line at 6.30 a.m. and advanced 100 yards beyond, to a position of better command and out of the enemy’s barrage, just behind and parallel to the Begelaere-Broodseinde Road, with points of the line touching the road. A hostile Battery was in position on this road just in front of the Line, but they were captured. The red line was consolidated by 7.30 a.m. The blue line was also captured and consolidated. Throughout the day and during the following night, the enemy’s shelling continued to be very severe over the whole captured area, on the old front line and in the valley rear thereof. Private William Anderson was killed while carrying ammunition during a counter attack around 3.30 p.m., when he was hit by a shell. He died at Garter Point (J.3 a.6.5.).

5th Australian Infantry Brigade, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/22/32). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, ANDERSON W). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx Sources used

McCarthy, C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-By-Day Account (London, Arms & Armour Press, 199, p. 99. Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1597407

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=2a269187-2b2b-49d1-be1d-8fe14a9b586c

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7322585

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=5441