William John Luther HOWARD

William John Luther HOWARD

Per his military service record (regimental no. 4802), William John Luther Howard was born at Crookwell, N.S.W. He gave his age as 24 years and 10 months, and his address as Mountain View, Biddon, Gilgandra, N.S.W. He gave his occupation as Farmer. His description on his medical was height 5 feet 9 ¾ inches tall, weight 11 stone 2 lbs., with a dark complexion, light blue eyes, and brown hair. His religious denomination was Methodist. He completed his medical on the 27^th October 1915 at Gilgandra, (after the Coo-ee March had started), and was not attested until after the March had finished, at Liverpool on the 13^th November 1915. He claimed to have had no previous military service.

Private Howard joined the Coo-ees at Bathurst. A telegram in the official correspondence of the March from A.H. Miller in Gilgandra to Major Wynne on the Coo-ee March dated 28^th October 1915 advised that Howard had been sent to Bathurst the night before to meet them (presumably by train). His name was listed as one of the Bathurst recruits in The Bathurst Times (29/10/1915, p. 2).

After completing the march he went to Liverpool Camp as reinforcement for the 13^th Battalion.

Private Howard departed Sydney on the HMAT Star of England on the 8^th March 1916. He arrived in Egypt on the 11^th of April 1916.

On the 7^th June 1916 Private Howard left Alexandria aboard the Transport Huntspill bound for France, arriving at Marseille on the 14^th June 1916.

After arriving in France Private Howard was sent to a Machine Gun Training School on 30^th June 1916. After completing training he was posted to the 12^th Machine Gun Company on the 12^th August 1916, when it was engaged in heavy fighting around Pozieres.

Private Howard was admitted to hospital with influenza on 1^st January 1917, returning to duty on 26^th January 1917.

He was appointed Lance Corporal on the 9^th October 1917 when his unit was resting out of the line at Ypres, Belgium.

On the 1^st April 1918 his unit was redesignated the 4^th Machine Gun Battalion.

He went on leave to the United Kingdom on 7^th September 1918. He returned from leave on the 26^th September 1918.

Lance Corporal Howard began his return to Australia aboard the Transport HMAT Commonwealth on the 17^th April 1919. He arrived in Australia on the 19^th May 1919.

He was discharged on the 12^th June 1919.