Death
HARVEY Eliza Jane
Father Sior Willie Mother Elizabeth GAVIN
At Ballarat 45 years 1921 Reg#4208
Birth
WILLEY Eliza Jane
Father Josiah William Willey Mother Eliza Mccracken Gavin
At Stawell 1876 Ref#11255
Marriage
HARVEY James born Ballarat West
WILLEY Eliza Jane born Stawell
1893 Reg#4809
Only birth I can see on the indexes.
HARVEY Ruby Eliza
Father James Mother Eliza Jane WILLEY
At Ballarat 1894 Reg#17467
Cheers
Cando
Ruby Eliza Harvey is my Grandmother, which makes Eliza Jane Harvey (nee Willey) my great Grandmother...
I found this recently ....
WILLEY.- Killed in action on 19th July, 1916 (previously reported missing). Josiah Willey, loving husband of Mary and father of Mary, Josiah, Eileen, and Kathleen; only son of the late Josiah Willey, of Stawell, and Mrs Merry, of Ballarat and brother of Mrs J. Harvey and uncle of Ruby; aged 28 years.
Note: he was actually 38 not 28
War service: Egypt, Western Front
Taken on strength, 59th Bn, Ferry Post, 24 May 1916.
Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 18 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 29 June 1916.
Posted missing, 19 July 1916.
Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 29 August 1917, pronounced fate as 'Killed in Action, 19 July 1916'.
Handwritten note on Form B103: 'Presumed Buried in No Man's Land approx 5J90 43 to 5K02.5.1 Sheet Hazebrouck 5A'.
Statement, Red Cross File No 2950410, 3238 Sergeant E.A.O. BAKER, C Company, 59th Bn (patient, Woodcote Park Hospital, England), 12 October 1916: 'Willey was hanging, badly wounded, on barbed wire in a creek at Armentieres, up to his waist in water. Informant was being carried down wounded and saw this. He got out of his stretcher so as to enable the bearers to go to Wiley's assistance ... Informant does not know what happened after that.'
He died on the worst day in Australia's history - In WW1 on The Western Front at the Battle of Fromelles (19th of July 1916), Australia experienced its worst day in history (not just military history). A total of 5,533 casualties (with 2,000 dead) in one night. The catch cry of the battle was "Don't forget me cobber" due to the fact that so many soldiers were left wounded in no man's land. For the 3 days and nights after the battle, men risked their lives to go into no man's land to save 300 of their wounded mates.
