SERVICE PERSON RESEARCH

By: Ella Woodgate

SERVICE PERSON DETAILS

PHOTO: There is no photograph of William available.

Service Person’s Name William Arthur Lee

Rank Private

Service Number 812

Regiment/Unit or Ship or Squadron

36th Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian ArmyC Company

Date of Birth 21 January 1893

Place of Birth Newmarket, Victoria, Australia (lived in Mirboo North)

Family Details SingleMother: Cassandra LeeFather: William ArthurBrother: AlbertSisters: Ruby, Nancy, Ella and Gladys

Age at Enlistment 23 years, 2 months (Date of enlistment: 24 February 1916)

Place of Enlistment Broadmeadows, New South Wales

Date and Place of Embarkation

13 May1916Sydney

Ship Embarked on HMAT Beltana A72

Location of Service Ypres, Messines, Armentieres, Moupunes, Zonnebeke, Passchendaele, Amiens, Villers-Brentonneux

Fate K.I.A

Date of Death 4 April 1918

Age at Death 24

Place of Death France, (While fighting in the Battle of the Avre)

Cemetery of Memorial Name Villers-Bretonneux Mémorial, Picardie, France

Grave or Memorial Number There is no grave for William, as his mates buried him in the battle field; however his name is on the memorial wall.

Honours and Awards William received a Victory Medal, British War Medal, a Memorial Plaque and Memorial Scroll. As stated in his letter, January 5, he was expected to get an Australian Military Medal and the French Croix de Guerre, although he did not live long enough to receive them, and the paper work for them was not sent through at the right time.

SERVICE PERSON’S STORY/EULOGY:We are gathered here to remember William Arthur Lee, my great, great uncle, a courageous young man who lost his life while fighting on the Western Front. He enlisted at 23 years of age, and joined the C Company of the 36th Australian Infantry Battalion. William joined the Australian Imperial Force in February 1916, and served until 4 April 1918, when he was killed in the Battle of the Avre.

The 36th Battalion trained at Broadmeadows Camp, New South Wales, before embarking on the HMAT Beltana A72, bound for England, in May 1916. William was well known and liked in Gloucester, his town of enlistment, and received a public send off as well as many presents. After further training, the battalion then proceeded to France in November 1916, where they endured a grueling winter in the trenches in Armentières, before fighting in Messines, June 1917.

William was then detached from his battalion in August, to join Signallers School, where he became a signaller, and then re-joined his battalion in September. Being a signaller meant that William was in the front lines, vulnerable to enemy shelling, as he sent messages back to his battalion and division headquarters. The 36th Battalion was then part of the 3rd Battle of Ypres, where they were reserves in the battle for Broodseinde Ridge, Zonnebeke, on 4 October, and participants in the attack on Passchendaele on 12 October. They endured heavy rain, and extremely muddy battlefields.

William then had leave to England for 14 days from 2 January 1918. During this time, he wrote a letter home, which was published in the Lee’s local newspaper. He wrote:

The battles of Zonnebeke and Passchendaele were the fiercest kind. The mud was up to your waist, and if you got into it you stayed there to die. A lot of our boys were taken prisoner. I had three very narrow escapes. The first was at Messines. A shell fell into the trench where we were, and killed four (G. Lee, C. Staples, D. Dunlop and R. Taylor), and wounded F. Price. We left Price for dead and ran like the devil. We got in a safe place for a while, but we were then shelled out of that…………..It will be deadly going back after this holiday, but I intend to see it through. If Australia is worth living in it is worth fighting for………….It is a lovely sight watching a good fight in the air. The planes fight each other with machine guns, and then one will burst out in flames, when a bullet goes through his petrol tank, and they burn like the devil when they fall. The men are roasted to death before they hit the ground. Other times the pilot or observer may get a bullet, and down she comes if he is dead or helpless. They have no chance after the machine gets on fire. Sometimes they jump out to save themselves from getting burnt, but it is certain death unless they fall into the sea. Oh, it is a gay life this war, and we have the good as well as the bad. I have now had 14 months in the lines and am good for another 14.

William returned to France, and after being sent to Divisional Signallers School, he was deployed to Villers-Bretonneux. There the battalion was involved in a counter-attack at Hangard Wood on 30 March. Then, on 4 April, in extremely wet and muddy conditions, the Germans began fiercely shelling the allied positions beginning the Battle of the Avre.

Although the battle was an Allied Forces victory, there were many lives lost, with 24 men from the 36th Battalion killed in action. William was one of those 24, who died while serving as a signaler, alongside his battalion and mates, who buried him in the field.

For his efforts, William received a Victory Medal, British War Medal, a Memorial Plaque and Scroll. In his letter home, he wrote that he was expected to get an Australian Military Medal and the French Croix de Guerre, although he did not live long enough to receive them, and the paper work for them was not sent through at the right time.

William was loved by family and friends, and died at 25 years of age, still with his whole life ahead of him. His brother and sisters wrote a prayer to him, which was published with his death notice in The Argus, a Melbourne Newspaper.

Thou art not forgotten, brother dear,Nor wilt thou ever be.As long as life and memory last, We will always pray for thee.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

AIF Project 2015, William Arthur LEE https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=173880 (accessed 17 January 2016)

Australian Government Department of Veteran’s Affairs 2013, Battles of Villers-Brentonneux http://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/about%20dva/media-centre/media-backgrounder/villers.pdf (accessed 19 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, Australian Imperial Force - Nominal Roll - William Arthur Lee https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/items/ACCNUM_LARGE/RCDIG1067646/RCDIG1067646--329-.JPG (accessed 15 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, Australian Imperial Force Unit War Diaries, 1914-1918 War: 36th Infantry Battalion April 1918. https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/bundled/RCDIG1004121.pdf (accessed 18 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, First World War Embarkation Rolls: William Arthur Lee https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1914543/ (accessed 15 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, Roll of Honour Digested Items: William Arthur Lee https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1068878--504-.pdf (accessed 15 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, Roll of Honour: William Arthur Lee https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1639568/ (accessed 15 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, 36th Australian Infantry Battalion https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U51476/ (accessed 19 January 2016).

Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria 2016, Birth Certificate of William Arthur Lee https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/indexsearch.doj?viewSequence=200&language=en&trxId=IDX&commandAction_displayDetailsAction%3D9735F5C4F5FD7A5D49C2E83E14803D33 (accessed 17 January 2016).

Commonwealth War Graves Commission n.d., LEE, William Arthur http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1455669/LEE,%20WILLIAM%20ARTHUR (accessed 17 January 2016).

Commonwealth War Graves Commission n.d., The Battle of the Avre, 4 April 1918: the German drive for Amiens http://www.cwgc.org/spring1918/content.asp?menuid=34&submenuid=35&id=13&menuname=The%20Avre&menu=subsub (accessed 18 January 2016).

Divisional Signal Company Royal Engineers n.d., Signaller in World War 1 http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/wr.php?main=inc/signaller_ww1 (accessed 18 January 2016).

Lee, WA 1918, Letter to his family, 5 January 1918, published in column ‘About Our Soldiers’ in Gippslander and Mirboo Times, 28 March, p.3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/14868856?zoomLevel=3&&&&&searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits= (accessed 16 January 2016).

National Archives of Australia 2016, B2455, LEE WILLIAM ARTHUR http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8197349 (accessed 15 January 2016).

Pte. Arthur Lee Killed 18 April 1918, in Gippslander and Mirboo Times (Vic. : 1914 - 1918) p. 2, Retrieved 17 January, 2016 from Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/129648020?searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits=

The Advocate 1918, ‘Killed In Action - Sergeant W.A.Lee’ in The Advocate 11 May, p. 13. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/152189073?searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits= (accessed 17 January 2016).

The Argus 1918, ‘Died In Service: William Arthur Lee’ in The Argus, 24 April, p.1. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1654663?searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits=l-state=Victoria|||l-australian=y|||l-title=13|||sortby=dateAsc|||l-decade=191|||l-year=1918|||l-month=4 (accessed January 15 2016).

Tibbitts, C 2007, Battle of Messines, Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/04/11/battle-of-messines/ (accessed 19 January 2016).

Tibbitts, C 2007, Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres), Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/04/11/battle-of-passchendaele-third-ypres/ (accessed 19 January 2016).

Tibbitts, C 2007, Rain and Mud: the Ypres - Passchendaele Offensive, Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/08/01/rain-mud-the-ypres-passchendaele-offensive/ (accessed 19 January 2016).

Pte. Arthur Lee Killed 18 April 1918, Gippslander and Mirboo Times (Vic.: 1914 - 1918) p. 2, Retrieved 17 January 2016 from Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/129648020?searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits=

Killed In Action - Sergeant W.A.Lee 11 May 1918, Advocate (Melbourne, Vic.: 1868 - 1954), p. 13. Retrieved 17 January 2016 from Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/152189073?searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits=

“About Our Soldiers

The following is taken from a letter written by Private Arthur Lee:

Weymouth, Jan 5.

I am on 14 days’ leave, and I am spending it in the South-West of England. I met a Tommy artillery chap in Armentieres when we first went out, and he and his wife have several times asked me to spend my furlough at their home. I am at their place for four days. I am enjoying myself immensely, as the people are very nice and homely. I will now give you a bit of what we have gone through. We first went into the trenches at Armentieres, and stayed there till Xmas, 1916. Then we went to Moupunes, where Captain Carmichael won his M.C and was wounded. Fritz came over on us and gave us the very devil. We then went away to the bush for a spell. We had been in the lines for 2½ months – in for a week at a time. We trained for the hop over at Messines, which came off on the 7th June. We lost a lot of boys in this affair. After that we worked up to Ypres (E-Pray it is pronounced) where we had the hottest time of it all. The battles of Zonnebeke (on the 4th of October) and Passchendaele (on the 12th of October) were the fiercest kind. The mud was up to your waist, and if you got into it you stayed there to die. A lot of our boys were taken prisoner. I had three very narrow escapes. The first was at Messines. A shell fell into the trench where we were, and killed four (G. Lee, C. Staples, D. Dunlop and R. Taylor), and wounded F. Price. We left Price for dead and ran like the devil. We got in a safe place for a while, but we were then shelled out of that. A mate, named Reckless, and myself, were each recommended for the M.M., but the papers went in too late, so we never got the medal. Reckless has since been wounded and has gone home to Aussie. I am now down for the Croix de Guerre, the French cross of war, which Mart. Cain won. I met Mart. the night before the battle of Zonnebeke, and he looked really well. I have not seen him since. I met Jim Verdon the day I left to come on leave, and will look him up when I get back to France. It will be deadly going back after this holiday, but I intend to see it through. If Australia is worth living in it is worth fighting for. The people I am staying with have to have a card to get sugar. Tea is 3s to 4s a pound. They have to line up for meat, while butter is out of the question. Only a little margarine is available, and that is bad. Rabbits are 4s a pair. And now they are putting the people on compulsory rationing. Then they say we are winning! The French people are very nice, but up in Flanders where we are, the Flemish are the dirtiest lot of people you ever met. They are a mixture of Belgian, French and German. The place is full of spies, and all they think of is money. They have very filthy habits. They always know what part of the line you are going to, what battalion you belong to, and all the information, and then Fritz gets it and we get shelled or bombed like the very deuce. It is a lovely sight watching a good fight in the air. The planes fight each other with machine guns, and then one will burst out in flames, when a bullet goes through his petrol tank, and they burn like the devil when they fall. The men are roasted to death before they hit the ground. Other times the pilot or observer may get a bullet, and down she comes if he is dead or helpless. They have no chance after the machine gets on fire. Sometimes they jump out to save themselves from getting burnt, but it is certain death unless they fall into the sea. Oh, it is a gay life this war, and we have the good as well as the bad. I have now had 14 months in the lines and am good for another 14.”

William Arthur Lee 1918, About Our Soldiers, Taken from a column from the Gippslander and Mirboo Times, Victoria, Thursday 28 March 1918. Retrieved from Trove, 16 January 2016 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/14868856?zoomLevel=3&&&&&searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits=

An extract of a death notice of William A. Lee in the The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria), Wednesday 24 April 1918. This extract shows a message and prayer from his mother and one from his sisters and brother.

DIED ON SERVICE 1918, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) p.g. 1, Retrieved January 15 2016 from Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1654663?searchTerm=William%20Arthur%20Lee&searchLimits=l-state=Victoria|||l-australian=y|||l-title=13|||sortby=dateAsc|||l-decade=191|||l-year=1918|||l-month=4

Woodgate Family 2015, Photograph of Ned Woodgate (my brother) commemorating William at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria 2016, Birth Certificate of William Arthur Lee, https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/indexsearch.doj?viewSequence=200&language=en&trxId=IDX&commandAction_displayDetailsAction%3D9735F5C4F5FD7A5D49C2E83E14803D33, accessed 17 January 2016.

War Diaries: 36th Australian Infantry Battalion, April

Australian War Memorial 2016, Australian Imperial Force Unit War Diaries, 36th Infantry Battalion https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/bundled/RCDIG1004121.pdf (accessed 18 January)

Photograph of William’s Memorial Plaque, passed down through the Woodgate family.

Summary of diary entries on 3 and 4 April 1918

3 April 1918

The group dug the Cachy Switch Line (which was used in the second battle of Villers-Bretonneux), and then began to wire it.

4 April

Heavy bombing in the Cachy Switch Line, at about 3.30am. At 5.30am, the fire increased, and at 6 am the shells fell very close to the camp (bivouac). The bombing continued, for about two hours, killing two soldiers and wounding 9. It was expected that the enemy would attack, so an order to “Stand to” was given at 9am. At 11.55am, the group moved to South of Villers-Bretonneux, so that they could defend a village. The companies set up in different locations, at the east side of the Villers-Bretonneux Hangard Road. The village was heavily bombarded at 1.45pm. At 4.45pm, the Germans had broken through English defence lines, making their way to the village. A and B Companies were sent to counter-attack, with C Company in close support. ‘They did so in great spirit and fine style’. The A company made significant advancements, and the gains were consolidated when two companies from the 6th London Regiment were sent into gaps between the A and B companies of the 36th Infantry Battalion, as the B and C Companies were unable to keep up with the A Company. Signallers, batmen, police and gas-personnel quickly brought tools and ammunition from the headquarters. On the return trip, the party brought back missing men.

It is presumed that William Arthur Lee, a signaller, was killed while he was on his mission to collect tools and ammunition or while he was working with the guns through the fight. A report written by J.A.Milne at 6.35pm stated that the casualties were estimated to be very heavy. Further information shows that at least 3 officers were killed, and 20 men of other ranks were killed.

Screenshots of the diary entries from 4 and 5 April, and the casualty list of 4 April from the 36th Battalion, from the War Diary of the 36th Infantry Battalion, April 1918, Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/bundled/RCDIG1004121.pdf

NAA Documents: Casualty Form Active Service

Timeline of his whereabouts during the war:

22.11.1916 - Proceeded to France

27.8.1917 - Was detached to join Corps. Signallers School

17.9.1917 - Rejoined his battalion from detachment

2.1.1918 - On leave to England

18.1.1918 - Rejoined his battalion after his leave in England

9.2.1918 - Detached from his battalion to go to Div. Sig School

3.3.1918 - Rejoined his battalion from Signallers School

4.4.1918 - Killed in Action on the Field in France, mates buried him.

National Archives of Australia 2016, B2455, LEE WILLIAM ARTHUR http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8197349 (accessed 15 January 2016)

Background Information:

SignallersThe job of a signaller was to communicate important information to their company and battalion headquarters. Because many of them were communicating information about the enemy, they were in the front lines, exposed to terrible conditions. Where it was possible, telephone lines were used, which meant that the signallers needed to lay out the lines in the trenches, which meant great danger from enemy shelling. At the beginning of the First World War, flags were used to give signals. Where it was not possible for telephone lines to be used, visual signals from sunlight light or lamps sent the vital information. Messages were also sent through Morse code, which meant that one man would send the message using the signalling device, and one would stand at the receiving place to decipher the message, using a telescope if the distance was substantial. Many signallers lost their lives, as they were often isolated and placed in a position vulnerable to enemy shelling, so that they could send vital information on the enemy. A Signaller in World War 1 n.d., Divisional Signal Company Royal Engineers, accessed 18 January 2016, http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/wr.php?main=inc/signaller_ww1.

36th Infantry BattalionWilliam was a member of the 36th Infantry Battalion, formed at Broadmeadows Camp in NSW. The Battalion was part of the 9th Brigade and the 3rd Australian Division that served on the Western Front during the World War 1. The Battalion trained in the United Kingdom for four months, before joining the other Allies troops in Europe. The Aussies endured a gruelling winter in the trenches in Armentières, before fighting in Messines, June 1917, the battalion’s first major battle, where the Allied Forces won. The 9th Brigade (including the 36th Battalion) was then reserves in the battle for Broodseinde Ridge, Zonnebeke, on 4 October. The 36th Battalion then participated in the attack on Passchendaele, October 1917. This battle entailed heavy rain, causing the battle fields to be thick with mud. Here they reached their objectives, however the battalion had to withdraw as other units had not secured their objectives, leaving the 36th Battalion with little artillery support and exposure to German attacks. The battalion then worked on duty and in training, before moving to the Somme, and were deployed around Villers-Bretonneux to defend Amiens. They took part in a counter-attack at Hangard Wood on 30 March 1918. The 36th Battalion participated in The Battle of the Avre, a counter-attack on the Germans, who were attacking Villers-Bretonneux, on 4 April, and suffered large losses as the Germans attacked with gas. The battalion disbanded on 30 April, as they had lost so many men, and the remaining men reinforced other 9th Brigade units. The battalion’s officers called this an ‘unselfish act’ to support the other brigades. Throughout all of the battalion’s service, 452 men were killed and 1,253 were wounded. The men in the battalion received many individual awards, and in 1927, the battalion received eight battle honours for its efforts on the Western Front throughout World War 1.

Australian War Memorial 2016, 36th Australian Infantry Battalion https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U51476/ (accessed 19 January 2016)

Battle of MessinesThis battle was very successful, and led to the Third Battle of Ypres. The Allied forces attacked the Germans on 7 June, 1917. At 3.10am, nineteen mines exploded underneath the German trenches. These were supported with a large artillery and infantry force, and the Allied victory was basically decided by the end of the 7th, as they had taken the Wytschaete – Messines ridge, and counter-attacks from the Germans were stopped.

Tibbitts, C 2007, Battle of Messines, Australian War Memorial, accessed 19 January 2016, <https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/04/11/battle-of-messines/>.

Battle of Passchendaele The battle of Passchendaele was also known as the 3rd Battle of Ypres, and it lasted for three months and 6 days (31 July to 10 November 1917). The Allied forces, led by the British, attacked from Ypres, their aim to push the Germans out of the dormant trenches and ridges, and hopefully reach the coast of Belgium. Passchendaele (a town in Ypres) was the last objective, hence the name of the battle, however there were many other parts of the battle that took place at Zonnebeke, Chateau Wood, Polygon Wood, Menin Road, Broodseinde Ridge and ANZAC Ridge. The conditions of these battles were horrific, as the area suffered from a very wet season, causing the battle fields to be covered in mud. When the battle finally came to an end, many lives had been lost, and many men were injured as well as unwell due to the weather and battle field conditions.

Tibbitts, C 2007, Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres), Australian War Memorial, accessed 19 January 2016, <https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/04/11/battle-of-passchendaele-third-ypres/>.

Tibbitts, C 2007, Rain and Mud: the Ypres - Passchendaele Offensive, Australian War Memorial, accessed 19 January 2016, <https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2007/08/01/rain-mud-the-ypres-passchendaele-offensive/>.

Battles at Villers-BretonneuxVillers-Bretonneux is a town in the Somme department in the Picardie region of France. There were two battles at Villers-Bretonneux. The first was from 30 March to 5 April, which is also known as the Battle of the Avre. The second battle was also known as the Battle of the Lys, and took place from 24 to 27 April. This was again, when the Germans attacked Allied lines, with their objective to take Amiens, however the battle was an Allied victory. Both sides used many tanks in these battles.

Australian Government Department of Veteran’s Affairs 2013, Battles of Villers-Bretonneux http://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/about%20dva/media-centre/media-backgrounder/villers.pdf (accessed 19 January, 2016)

Battle of the Avre (the battle that William Arthur Lee died in)This battle took place on 4 April 1918, near the river Avre, in the Somme, Picardie. It was part of the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, as the aim of the Germans was to attack Villers-Bretonneux, secure the town, and use the land to further attack of Amines. This was what the Germans called their ‘Spring Offensive’. There were preliminary moves on 29 and 30 March, through Hangard Wood, however their movements were suspended between the 1 and 3 April to allow the German troops to rest and recover. The 33rd to 60 th Australian Battalions were involved, as 15 German divisions attacked 7 Allied forces divisions, in a line east of Amines to the north of Albert, towards the Avre River. This was the first fight where both sides used tanks. The allied forces efforts were remarkable; leading to their re-capture of Villers-Bretonneux, as the British and Australian troops quickly planned a counter-attack at night.

In extremely wet and muddy conditions, the Germans began fiercely shelling the allied positions, just after 5am. The German infantry then attacked, in misty weather, at 6:30am. The 18th and 14th British Divisions and 9th Australian Division fought off three German assaults, but the enemy broke in at the 14th Division’s front at 10am, resulting in a withdrawal to positions closer to Villers-Bretonneux. The north defence held all day, however in the south at 4pm, the 18th British Division’s defences were broken down, as a gap was created by the Germans after they pushed through Lancer Wood, resulting in a path to Villers-Bretonneux accessible. At 5.45pm, a counter-attack on the Germans by the 36th Australian Infantry Battalion was successful, stopping the Germans before reaching their objectives. The 9th Australian Brigade suffered 665 casualties (about 2,250 men involved in the battle) and the Germans suffered great losses from casualties, injuries and men taken prisoner.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission n.d., The Avre, CWGC, accessed 18 January 2016, <http://www.cwgc.org/spring1918/content.asp?menuid=34&submenuid=35&id=13&menuname=The%20Avre&menu=subsub>.

France: Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Villers-Bretonneux Area, Villers-Bretonneux. This small town, on the edge of the high land ten miles from Amiens, was attacked by the Germans on 4 April and 24 April in order to obtain a position dominating the city. 1918, Photograph, Australian War Memorial, accessed 18 January 2016, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E02227/?image=1>.

France: Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Villers-Bretonneux Area, Villers-Bretonneux. A view from the roof of the White Chateau, when the Australians held the white chalk line of trenches as their front line. Hangard Wood is seen in the distance. 1918, Photograph, Australian War Memorial, accessed 18 January 2016, < https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E02343/>.

National Archives of Australia 2016, B2455, LEE WILLIAM ARTHUR http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8197349 (accessed 15 January, 2016)

France: Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Villers-Bretonneux Area, Villers-Bretonneux. A view from the roof of the White Chateau, when the Australians held the white chalk line of trenches as their front line. Hangard Wood is seen in the distance. 1918, Photograph, Australian War Memorial, accessed 18 January 2016, < https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E02343/>.

AIF Project 2015, William Arthur LEE https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=173880 (accessed 17 January 2016)

National Archives of Australia 2016, B2455, LEE WILLIAM ARTHUR http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8197349 (accessed 15 January 2016)

Grave Registration and Certificate

Commonwealth War Graves Commission n.d., LEE, William Arthur http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1455669/LEE,%20WILLIAM%20ARTHUR (accessed 17 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, First World War Embarkation Rolls: William Arthur Lee https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1914543/ (accessed 15 January 2016).

Australian War Memorial 2016, Roll of Honour: William Arthur Lee https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1639568/ (accessed 15 January 2016).