William James Johnson (1871 – 30 July 1916) was an Australian politician and soldier.
William Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Robertson | |
| In office 13 April 1910 – 31 May 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Willis |
| Succeeded by | William Fleming |
| Mayor of Auburn | |
| In office 9 February 1914 – 3 February 1916 | |
| Preceded by | George Ritchie |
| Succeeded by | Tom Cheetham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1871 Yass, Colony of New South Wales, British Empire |
| Died | 30 July 1916 (aged 44–45) Étaples, Pas-de-Calais, France |
| Cause of death | Died of wounds |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Labor |
| Occupation |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service |  Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1915–1916 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 2nd Battalion |
| Battles/wars | World War I • Battle of the Somme |
Born in Yass, New South Wales, he received a primary education before becoming a coachbuilder. He was involved in local politics as a member of Auburn Council. In 1910, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Robertson, defeating Henry Willis. He held the seat until 1913, when he was defeated by William Fleming, representing the Commonwealth Liberal Party.[1]
Johnson enlisted as a Private on 14 August 1915[2] and served in the Second Battalion in France. While there, his Division was addressed by then Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes and former Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, then serving as Australian High Commissioner to Britain, and Hughes recognised Johnson in the crowd.[3] The former colleagues were seen laughing and reminiscing for some time.[3] Johnson was wounded at Pozières, and died of his wounds in Étaples on 30 July 1916.[4]
References
edit- ^ Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
- ^ "Johnson, William James", First World War Nominal Roll Page – AWM133, 27-098, Australian War Memorial, http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/nominal_rolls/first_world_war/page.asp?p=1652237, Accessed 6 September 2010.
- ^ a b Bastian, P. (2009) Andrew Fisher, UNSW Press, Sydney. ISBN 978-1-74223-004-7.
- ^ "Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war" (PDF). Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
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