Regimental number | 196 |
Place of birth | Stroud, New South Wales |
Religion | Church of England |
Occupation | Grazier |
Address | Gloucester, New South Wales |
Marital status | Single |
Age at embarkation | 19 |
Height | 5' 9" |
Weight | 168 lbs |
Next of kin | Father, Thomas Lavers Higgins, Gloucester, New South Wales |
Previous military service | Nil |
Enlistment date | |
Place of enlistment | Newcastle, New South Wales |
Rank on enlistment | Driver |
Unit name | 30th Battalion, Headquarters |
AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/47/1 |
Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A72 Beltana on |
Regimental number from Nominal Roll | 196 |
Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
Unit from Nominal Roll | 30th Battalion |
Fate | Killed in Action |
Miscellaneous details (Nominal Roll) | Date of death given (incorrectly) on Nominal Roll as 20 July 1915. |
Place of burial | Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery (Plot I, Row D, Grave No 3), France |
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial | 117 |
Other details |
War service: Egypt, Western Front Embarked Sydney, 9 November 1915; disembarked Suez, 16 December 1915. Reverted to Private at own request, 8 May 1916. Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 16 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916. Reported missing, 20 July 1916. Note on file, 13 March 1917: 'Identification Disc received from Germany. No particulars were afforded, except that Soldier was deceased.' May now be reported "KILLED IN ACTION" 20/7/16.' German note on file: 'austr. Sold. Higgins, W.B. 30. austr. Batl. am 19.7.16 in Gegend Fromelles gefallen.' Note on Red Cross File No 1330407: 'The above name appeared on German Death List 4-11-16.' Statement, 1196 Lance Corporal V.H. DRAKE, 30th Bn (patient, 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth, England), 22 September 1916: 'Informant states that on July 20/16 at Fleurbaix he was with Higgins well up in the communication trench when a raid was made; they bombarded the Germans and in the counter-attack Higgins got further away and was cut off and taken prisoner by the Germans who got between the lines.' Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal Originally listed as 'No Known Grave' and commemorated at V.C. Corner (Panel No 2), Australian Cemetery, Fromelles; subsequently (2010) identified, and interred in the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, France. |
Miscellaneous details | Regimental Number incorrectly recorded on Embarkation Roll as 96. |
Sources | NAA: B2455, HIGGINS William Bruce
Red Cross file 1330407 |