William Bruce Higgins (1896 - 1916)

Born 1896 in Stroud, New South Wales, Australia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Died 20 Jul 1916 at about age 20 in Fromelles, Nord, France

Anzacs on Wikitree

Biography

William was born in 1896. He was the son of Thomas Higgins and Sarah Crick of Heatherdale, Gloucester, NSW. William enlisted in the AIF on 2 Aug 1915 and was assigned Regimental No 196 in 30 Bn. At the time of enlistment he gave his occupation as grazier and his next of kin as his father in Barrington, NSW. At time of enlistment he was described as 5 ft 9 in tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. He embarked from Australia on the Transport 'Katuna' to Suez where he spent approximately 6 months before sailing for Marseilles in France on the transport 'Hororata', disembarking there on 23 Jun 1916. He was posted missing less than a month later, on 20 Jul 1916 at the Battle of Fromelles. In March 1917 the Germans returned his identity disc with no further information other than that he was deceased. He was then listed as Killed in Action on 20 Jul 1916. His remains were identified by DNA testing in 2010 from the pits where he and other casualties had been buried by the Germans. His remains were re-interred in 2010 in the new Fromelles Military Cemetery in 2010 in the leadup to the official opening of that cemetery by Prince Charles on 19 July 2010.

21 Mar 1917 - The Gloucester Advocate

Private Bruce Higgins.

HIS DEATH REPORTED

Mrs. T. L. Higgins has received the following letter from the Red Cross Information Bureau:-

It is with the deepest regret that we have to inform you that our agents have sent word to us from England to say that the above soldiers name has appeared on the German death list issued on the 4th November 1916. The agents inform us that these lists are made up from the discs which the Germans have collected from men who have been killed in action or died of wounds, or died as a prisoner of war, and in every case the Germans have found the men whose discs are collected. We are afraid, therefore, that there cannot be any doubt that the young soldier must have died, and we would ask you to accept from everyone in this office our sincere sympathy in your great sorrow.— Yours faithfully

LANGER OWEN.^[1]

^[2]

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Sources

• Birth - NSW BDM Birth index - HIGGINS WILLIAM B; 34945/1896; THOMAS L; SARAH A; STROUD

• WW1 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - HIGGINS William Bruce : Service Number - 196 : Place of Birth - Stroud NSW : Place of Enlistment - Newcastle NSW : Next of Kin - (Father) HIGGINS Thomas Lavers - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=5457983

• Studio portrait of 196 Driver (Dvr) William Bruce Higgins - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1222354

Footnotes

1. ↑ http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158593310
2. ↑ Entered by Mark Rogers, Jun 16, 2013

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Mark Rogers for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Mark and others.