| Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Pozieres Area, Pozieres |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM16189.002 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Bronze |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | c 1921 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Next of kin plaque: Private William Ambrose Slattery, 9th Battalion, AIF
Description
Bronze next of kin plaque, showing on the obverse, Britannia holding a laurel wreath, the British lion, dolphins, a spray of oak leaves and the words 'HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR' around the edge. Beneath the main figures, the British lion defeats the German eagle. The initials 'ECP', for the designer Edward Carter Preston appear above the lion's right forepaw. A raised rectangle above the lion's head bears the name 'WILLIAM SLATTERY'.
History / Summary
Born in Maryborough, Queensland, William Ambrose Slattery was employed as a coal miner when he enlisted in the AIF at Toowoomba on 19 August 1915. After initial training he was posted a private, service number 4293, to the 13th Reinforcements to the 9th Battalion. He left Brisbane aboard HMAT Kyarra on 3 January 1916 and arrived in Egypt on 19 February.
Although 9th Battalion left Egypt for France at the end of March, Slattery undertook further training with reinforcements in France before being formally taken on strength of the battalion on 29 July. He was killed in action at Pozieres on 20 August, aged 25. Slattery's body was not recovered for burial and his name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
This commemorative plaque was sent to his father, John Thomas Slattery, in February 1922.