William Alfred FISH
Service No. 3229, Private, 29th Battalion

The son of Alfred and Rachel Fish of Swan Reach, Bill (known as ‘Willie’ to his family) was born at Sale in 1890 and went to school at Sarsfield and Kalimna State Schools, before undertaking a course at the Central Business College in Melbourne. He worked for the Postmaster General’s Department as a line repairman. At the age of twenty-five he enlisted on 15 March 1916, just a few weeks after his brother Les had joined up.

After basic training at Broadmeadows, Private Fish was posted to the 29th Battalion 7th Reinforcement. On 4 July 1916 he embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Berrima, bound for England and further training at the Larkhill camp. Bill landed in France on 12 November 1916 and was taken on strength with the 29th Battalion two weeks later—then thrown into the vicious fighting on the Western Front as a Lewis gunner.

Viral infections spread quickly in the trenches and Bill contracted mumps in December 1916. He was transferred to the 18th General Hospital at Camiers, just north of Étaples, where he spent Christmas and New Year before returning to his unit on 10 January 1917. Except for being docked two days’ pay for eating his emergency rations without permission in July 1917, Bill’s military record was clean and he remained unscathed by the conflict raging around him.

His luck ran out at ‘Anzac Ridge’ near Ypres at 5.00pm on 9 October 1917 when, while supporting the troops in the frontline, a high explosive shell hit his machine gun placement. Bill Fish was killed instantly and he was buried in a temporary grave close to the lines. His permanent grave is at the Oxford Road Cemetery, Ypres. The inscription on his headstone is ‘Ever remembered RIP’

He is remembered on the Lakes Entrance RSL and Kalimna State School honour boards, the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour and the Lakes Entrance Cenotaph.