Tasmanian War Casualties

WW1

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Free, William Thomas

H06490

Studio portrait of 3139 Private (Pte) William Thomas Free, 40th Battalion. A carter from Rokeby, Tas prior to enlistment, Pte Free embarked with the 7th Reinforcements from Adelaide on HMAT Seang Bee on 10 February 1917. On 17 April 1917, whilst in transit, he died on board of cerebro spinal meningitis aged 31, and was buried in the Freetown (King Tom) Cemetery Memorial, Sierra Leone.

Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Free of Rokeby have received news from the Defence authorities of the death, at Sierra Leone, of their second son Willie. The deceased was a private in the A.I.F and was on his way to the front. He died from meningitis. The deceased soldier tried to enlist early in the war but was rejected. Nothing daunted, he tried again, and passed. He had taken a foremost part in all manly sports and as a cricketer was a prominent member of the old Rokeby eleven in the Cameron shield match and other well-remembered contests. IHe also played for some time on the upper ground in Hobart. In football he was one of the best of players. While residing at Nubeena he took a leading part in cricket, football, and rifle shooting. His death creates the first gap in the group of young men who have gone from Rokeby to the war. He was 30 years of age

The Mercury 1^st May 1917

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Tasmanian War Casualties, Honouring the past, building understanding.