PERSONAL LIFE

William Campbell was born in the Tweed River district in 1884, son of Thomas & Ann Jane Woodside Andrews Thomas. He was one of 15 children

ATTESTATION

William travelled to Brisbane on 9^th January 1917 to complete his application. He answered several questions on the document, and we find out he was born in the Tweed River area, was 33 years and 1 month old and a single man. He gave his occupation as grazier. His next of kin was his father, Thomas, of Tyalgum

He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia

OATH

On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, William Campbell, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War, and a further four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed therefrom: and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and case His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and I will in all matters appertaining to my services faithfully discharge my duty according to law

SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

MEDICAL EXAMINATION

His medical examination showed he was, 5ft 9 inches tall (1.75m), weighed 140 lbs (63kgs), with a dark complexion, brown eyes & brown hair. His eyesight was good and he was dentally fit. William declared he was free religion and had 3 vaccination scars on his left arm

 

CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER

This is completed during the recruits training, in William’s case on 22^nd April 1917 at Enoggera.

It certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. The officer accordingly approved and appointed him to 15^th 11^th Light Horse with service No 1638

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, William trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together

Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months

The recruits were issued with their uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches, and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

After completing his initial training, William was transferred south to join an embarkation draft. He departed Melbourne aboard HMAT Boorara (A42) on 10 May 1917, bound for service overseas. Like many Queensland soldiers, he travelled by train to Melbourne to join the reinforcement group scheduled for that transport.

Alongside his comrades, William marched aboard, his boots ringing on the gangway. As the ship’s lines were cast off and the quay began to slip away, the reality of war lay ahead, but for now, the sea breeze carried only the sound of voices and the excitement of men bound for adventure, duty, and the unknown.

The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On the voyage, due to overcrowding, training was limited to mainly to lectures and a little physical training.

Sleeping & Living Arrangements

Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.

Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.

Daily Routine

Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting). There were parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order. Training was a little problematic—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks. Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.

Meals

Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.

Health & Sanitation

Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease. Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.

The Voyage Experience

Entertainment included church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed. To keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium. No letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.

The troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection

CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY

The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

SIGHTS AT SEA

On the way to Egypt the ship would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.

SECURITY

By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships. Troopships generally sailed in convoys or at least took zig-zag courses to make torpedo attacks harder. Ships often travelled under blackout conditions at night, with lookouts specifically watching for periscopes or torpedo wakes.

APPROACHING EGYPT

After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the sandy training grounds of Egypt, preparing for what lay ahead.

EGYPT JUNE 1917

The voyage took the Boorara across the Indian Ocean via Fremantle and Colombo, through the Red Sea, and finally to Suez, where the troops disembarked in late June 1917.

Upon arrival in Egypt, William and his fellow reinforcements were transferred to the Australian Camp at Moascar, near Ismailia, where all newly arrived troops underwent a period of quarantine and acclimatisation before being posted to active units.

TAKEN ON STRENGTH JULY 1917 CAMEL BRIGADE

On 16 July 1917, he was officially recorded as having marched out to the Isolation Camp, Moascar, and shortly afterwards was taken on strength with the Australian and New Zealand Reserve Depot, 1st Australian Camel Brigade, at Abassia, marking his formal entry into the reinforcement system for mounted operations in Egypt and Palestine. Here, he underwent further training and medical assessment while awaiting a posting to an active unit.

During this period, the Australian Imperial Force was supplying reinforcements to both the Light Horse Regiments and the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade, which operated across the Sinai and Palestine deserts. William was selected for service with the Camel Corps, a formation renowned for its endurance and mobility in harsh desert conditions.

At Abassia, he undertook a demanding course of instruction in camel handling, navigation, and desert fieldcraft, adapting his earlier mounted training to the very different requirements of camel operations. The men learned to manage their animals over long distances with limited water, to conduct reconnaissance patrols in the open desert, and to fight dismounted in small mobile detachments.

POSTED TO 3^RD BATTALION 3^RD COMPANY IMPERIAL CAMEL CORPRS

TAKEN ON STRENGTH 26^TH AUGUST 1917

On completion of this training, William was posted forward to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Company, Imperial Camel Corps, and on 26 August 1917 he was officially taken on strength in Palestine. This marked his transition from training in Egypt to active service on the front lines with one of the most distinctive and hard-fought mounted formations of the Sinai–Palestine campaign.

After joining the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Company, Imperial Camel Corps in Palestine on 26 August 1917, Trooper William Campbell became part of a unique and highly mobile fighting force that operated deep in the desert in support of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF). The Camel Corps was engaged in patrols, reconnaissance, and raiding operations across the Sinai–Palestine frontier, maintaining constant pressure on Ottoman forces as the British lines advanced northward.

THIRD BATTLE OF GAZA OCTOBER 1917

Through September and October 1917, the Imperial Camel Corps took part in a series of strenuous marches and minor engagements leading up to the Third Battle of Gaza. Operating in extreme heat and rough desert terrain, William’s unit supported mounted columns securing wells, escorting supply convoys, and screening the flanks of the advancing Australian Light Horse Brigades.

BATTLE OF BEERSHEBA OCTOBER 1917

In October 1917, the Corps was heavily involved in the operations preceding the famous Battle of Beersheba (31 October 1917). The Camel Battalions played a crucial supporting role — protecting lines of communication, securing water sources, and covering the extended right flank of the Desert Mounted Corps during the assault. Following the capture of Beersheba, the ICC continued north in pursuit of Ottoman forces through Tel el Khuweilfe, Bir el Maghar, and the Jaffa–Jerusalem corridor in November and December 1917.

TRANSFER TO 4^TH CAMEL BATTALION DECEMBER 1917

By late December, the heavy campaigning and constant movement had taken a toll on the units, and the Imperial Camel Corps was being reorganised to consolidate its strength. As part of this reorganisation, William was transferred from the 3rd Battalion to the 4th Camel Battalion on 30 December 1917. This transfer placed him within a newly formed composite unit that continued to serve with distinction in the advance through southern Palestine into early 1918.

By this stage, the Camel Corps had completed months of gruelling service across the Sinai and Palestine deserts, operating in extreme heat and isolation. The men continued to carry out long-range patrols, reconnaissance duties, and convoy protection during the final phase of the Jerusalem operations in January 1918.

CAMEL CORPS DISBANDED JANUARY 1918

Early in 1918, the strategic situation in Palestine was changing rapidly. The terrain north of Jerusalem was too rough for camels, and the mounted forces of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force were being reorganised to prepare for the advance toward Jericho and the Jordan Valley. As a result, the Imperial Camel Corps was gradually disbanded, with its Australian personnel transferred back to traditional mounted units.

TRANSFER TO 5^TH LIGHT HORSE FEBRUARY 1918

On 5 February 1918, William was among those transferred to the 5th Light Horse Regiment, returning him to a horse-mounted formation after nearly a year of desert service with the Camel Corps. This posting placed him once again within the Australian Mounted Division, which was preparing for the next stage of the Palestine campaign.

The regiment was then stationed in the Jordan Valley, a harsh and disease-ridden region where temperatures were extreme and malaria was rampant. Despite the difficult conditions, the Light Horse played a vital role in holding the line east of Jerusalem and supporting raids across the Jordan River into Transjordan.

RAID ON ES SALT APR-MAY 1918

Throughout the first half of 1918, the 5th Light Horse took part in a series of demanding operations, including the raid on Es Salt (April–May 1918) and the constant patrol and outpost work that characterised the Jordan Valley campaign. The men endured intense heat, limited water supplies, and the constant threat of enemy artillery and air attack, but their mobility and endurance proved essential to maintaining the British position in the area.

TRANSFER TO 8^TH LIGHT HORSE AUGUST 1918

By mid-1918, as the Allied forces prepared for the final offensive in Palestine, a general reorganisation of the mounted units was undertaken to balance manpower across the regiments. On 17 August 1918, William was transferred to the 8th Light Horse Regiment, another veteran unit of the Australian Mounted Division. The following day, 18 August 1918, he reverted from temporary corporal to private at his own request, a common occurrence when men preferred to serve without the administrative responsibilities of a non-commissioned rank during active operations.

ARMISTICE NOVEMBER 1918

With the war drawing to a close, on 12 December 1918 William was transferred to regimental headquarters and embarked for Egypt. Two weeks later, on 28 December, he was held at the Rest Camp before being moved on to the Depot Stores at Moascar on 23 February 1919. Moascar, near Ismailia on the Suez Canal, was a large Australian and British camp where men awaited orders for demobilisation or return home.

Over the following weeks, his name appears several times in the regimental and depot rolls as he moved between the 8th Light Horse Regiment and the Details Camp at Moascar, typical of the administrative shuffling that took place as units were wound down.

GOING HOME APRIL 1919

Finally, William was placed on the nominal roll for return to Australia. He embarked on 4 April 1919 aboard H.T. City of Poona for early repatriation via Suez, and was due to arrive home on 7 April 1919 — his long service in the desert campaign at last completed. He was discharged on 16^th June 1919

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service William was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal

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