| Regimental number | 4761 |
| Place of birth | Forest Range, South Australia |
| School | Forest Range School, South Australia |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Occupation | Gardener |
| Address | Forest Range, South Australia |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 19 |
| Height | 5' 6" |
| Weight | 135 lbs |
| Next of kin | Mother, Mrs Charlotte East, Forest Range, South Australia |
| Previous military service | Served for 4 years in the Senior Cadets, Lobethal; 3 months in the Citizen Military Forces. |
| Enlistment date | |
| Place of enlistment | Port Adelaide, South Australia |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 10th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/27/4 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board RMS Mongolia on |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 50th Battalion |
| Fate | Killed in Action |
| Place of death or wounding | France |
| Age at death | 17.11 |
| Age at death from cemetery records | 20 |
| Place of burial | London Cemetery and Extension (Plot V, Row D, Grave No 25), Longueval, France |
| Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial | 150 |
| Miscellaneous information from cemetery records | Parents: Henry and Charlotte EAST, Forest Range, South Australia |
| Family/military connections | Brothers: 474 Pte Walter Leonard EAST, 10th Bn, killed in action, 15 May 1915; 4760 Pte Albert Henry EAST, 50th Bn, returned to Australia, 25 September 1919. |
| Other details |
War service: Egypt, Western Front Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 7 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 14 June 1916. Taken on strength, 50th Bn, in the field, 13 August 1916. Killed in action, 4 September 1916. Statement, Red Cross File No 0980812, 4760 Pte A.H. EAST, 70th Bn, Windmill Camp, England, 26 August 1917: 'I am glad to know someone has sympathy for a chap who has lost all. I came from Australia with my two brothers, one was killed in the landing at Gallipoli, the other W.H. was killed at Mucourt [sic] Farm on Sept. 4th 1916, caused by a shell. 10 of us were in a small sap when a shell lobbed in and the consequence was, all of us were buried, after getting out of my stifling position I lost no time in digging for my brother. I dug 10 bodies out altogether including my brother. They were all torn to pieces with the exception of one and I sent word along for stretcher bearers and he was taken away some little time later and I remembered no more. Sad but true, he is dead.' Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal Buried at Mouquet Farm; grave subsequently lost. Originally listed as 'No known grave', and name recorded on the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France. The body was found in an isolated grave north-west of Pozieres in 1937, and reinterred in the London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval. |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, EAST William Henry
Red Cross File No 0980812 |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
