Peterson, William Ernest
SURNAME
Peterson
NAME
William Ernest
PLACE OF BIRTH
Lappa Junction, via Cairns, QLD
OCCUPATION
Farm Hand
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT
Cairns & Frazer's Hill, QLD
DATE OF ENLISTMENT
Cairns QLD 10/2/1916? , Frazer's Hill QLD 18/4/1916
NEXT OF KIN
(brother) Arthur Peterson, Blackfellow's Creek, Edmonton, QLD
LINK TO DOUGLAS SHIRE
Unrecorded but most likely enlisted at Cairns (see half-brother? William Peterson No.880)
(Name on Douglas Shire Council’s Honour Board is incorrect)
REGIMENT 1
41st Battalion AIF
RANK
Private
CAMPAIGN 1
Western Front
KILLED IN ACTION
Yes, 11/7/1918
OTHER INFORMATION
Medals: British War Medal No.39900, Victory No.39516, Memorial Plaque no.327443.
STORY OUTLINE
William Ernest Peterson and his half-brother? William Peterson, both from Lappa Junction (west of Mareeba) would appear to have enlisted at nearly the same time in Cairns? in February 1916.
William Ernest later signed an Attestation form in April 1916 at Frazer's Hill although no parental permission because of the under-age requirement is recorded.
He embarked from Sydney on HMAT 'Demosthenes' in May 1916 for Greymouth, England arriving in July.
Four months later he was transferred to France.
On 11 July 1918 he was killed in action in Belguim and his remains were exhumed and buried in the Messines Ridge British Cemetery (Plot V, Row C, Grave No. 48), Belgium.
SERVICE NO
262
