William Henry Bright
From The Orange Wiki
BRIGHT, William Henry
Service no: 1880 [1]
Place of birth: Canowindra, 1896
Address: Batlow
Occupation: Labourer
Next of kin: William Bright (father), Batlow
Date of enlistment: 25 January 1916
Place of enlistment: Cootamundra
Age at enlistment: 18
Fate: Enlisted 25 January 1916 but was discharged as medically unfit Re-enlisted 9 March 1916. Embarked HMAT A37 Barambah, Sydney, 23 June 1916. Taken on strength 35th Battalion 23 September 1916 proceeded to France. Admitted to hospital 23 February 1917 Died of disease, No. 7 General Hospital, Omer, France, 24 February 1917
Date of death: 24 February 1917
Buried: Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, France, Plot 4, Row B, Grave 30
Initially William Henry Bright enlisted at Cootamundra on 25 January 1916. When he became ill his parents withdrew their consent and he was discharged.
He enlisted again on 9 March 1916 and was posted to the 56th Battalion 3rd Reinforcements. His Battalion embarked at Sydney via HMAT A37 Barambah on 23 June 1916. Bright was taken on strength to the 35th Battalion and proceeded to France. He fell ill with cellulitis of the neck on 23 February 1917, was operated on at the No 7 General Hospital at Omer, but died at 5am the following morning.
William Henry Bright was laid to rest at the Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery in France. He is remembered on panel number 125 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
William’s brother Frederick James Bright enlisted at Cootamundra on 25 August 1915. He too served in France and was wounded twice. Frederick survived the war and returned to Australia in 1919.
- Sharon Jameson and Margaret Nugent, January 2019
