Ancestor Details

Ancestor's Name: William Vincent Coady

Ancestor's date of birth: 05/01/1877

Ancestor's date of death: 02/05/1918

Cause of Death: Killed in action at Villers Bretoneux, France soon after the German offensive of 1918 was halted.

Service and Life Before the Boer War: William Coady was born in 1877. He became a school teacher in NSW.

Service Number: 226

Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Sydney

Unit: 3^rd NSW Imperial Bushmen

Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 01/03/1901

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): CPL, Date Effective: 17/10/1916

Murray Page: 112 and 150

Contingent: Fifth New South Wales

Ship: Antillian, Date of Sailing: 05/04/1901

Memorial details: Villers Brettoneux Memorial, AWM Canberra, War Memorial Glen Innes NSW

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902 clasps. British War Medal, Victory Medal.

Personal Characteristics: Height 168 cm, weight 67 kg, of sallow complexion with grey eyes and black hair.

Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided.

Details of service in war: Service: May 1901 - May 1902 in west then east Transvaal then west Transvaal. He may also have served in 2NSWMR for part of 1901/1902 as no 97.

Service and life after the Boer War: Did not marry. He returned to school teaching after the war. After World War 1 broke out he enlisted in 21^st reinforcements of the 13^th BN as no 6487 Private on 8 May 1916 . Promoted Corporal 17 October 1916 he requested reduction to private shortly after. Wounded in action, 4 February 1917 and again on 7 August 1917. He was killed in action (shot in the head by a burst of machine gun fire) at Villers Brettoneux 2 May 1918 and has no known grave.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Maxwell Pringle, Narrabri NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: 3^rd Cousin

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