WW1

If you could spare a few dollars to help with the running costs of hosting this website to keep it alive would be very much appreciated. Thankyou from Gravesites of Tasmania in advance.

McNeill, David James

Born 20^th September 1883 Spring Bay Tasmania to Joseph and Helen McNeill (nee Ferguson) a labourer who emarked Melbourne 24^th November 1915 on board RMS Orontes with the 15^th Battalion.

 He was killed in action 31^st. August 1916 at Moquet Farm and is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France.

His brother Sapper Alan Douglas McNeill was also killed in action 26^th March 1917 in Belgium and is commemorated in the Torreken Farm Cemetery No 1, Belgium.

Mrs McNeill of 18 Little Arthur Street, North Hobart, is in receipt of a letter from Sergeant Drew (in France), giving details of how her son met his death. He writes:--

'Enclosed please find a few private belongings of your son Dave. I send, not to reopen a wound, but because I thought you would like to know how your son died. He was on duty, observing in the front line trench, near Mouquet Farm, at 6 am, on September 1, 1916, and I was standing two yards from him, also observing, when a German shell came. He did not suffer, as death was instantaneous. My own escape was very narrow, but it was not my turn, his death was a great shock to me, as he was a personal friend of mine. I have been his platoon sergeant ever since he left Tasmania, and there was no better soldier or straighter man in the Australian army. He was a general favourite with all the rest of the company, and the men would have gone anywhere with him. He could have gained stripes, but was too modest to take them, and refused several times. However, I persuaded him recently to take one, and he was lance-corporal at the last."

 The deceased soldier was a brother of Mrs. George Eyles of Selbourne, Hagley.

Examiner Launceston 28^th November 1916

Photo Courtesy Fran Read

Please note that there might be information from other websites or brochures "reprinted" here- under the laws of "fair use". In every instance -we hope- we have provided a direct link to the owners web site. We do not claim rights or ownership to any of their information. We do thank them sincerely for their efforts. We have in every instance made a good faith effort to contact and request 'reprint' permission. Nonetheless, we do want to be certain that nothing gets lost due to web site disappearance and the like, so it appears duplicated here.

Tasmanian War Casualties, Honouring the past, building understanding.

Copyright © 2016 Tasmanian War Casualties