| Accession Number | P05080.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Digital print |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | 27 July 1917- 25 September 1917 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 2787 Private William Joseph McDonald, 51st Battalion. A moulder of Boulder, ...
Description
Studio portrait of 2787 Private William Joseph McDonald, 51st Battalion. A moulder of Boulder, Western Australia, he enlisted on 31 July 1915 and sailed with the 9th Reinforcements of the 11th Battalion on the HMAT Hororata on 5 October 1915. In February 1916 he was transferred to the 51st Battalion and sailed to England from Egypt in June 1916. He was wounded in France in August 1916 and on rejoining his unit fought in the Battle of Messines after which he was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for 'devotion to duty' and was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He was killed in action on 26 September 1917, aged 23, during the Battle of Polygon Wood, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.