8th Brigade Original

The World War of Willy Thompson

By: Allan A. Murray

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The story of a physically strong and quietly determined Australian infantry Driver from World War I.

When the first official Australian casualty lists of the War were released at the beginning of May 1915, William ‘Willy’ Thompson, from Newcastle, New South Wales, decided to enlist. He was in search of adventure. Willy was allocated to the 30th Battalion of a newly formed brigade in the Australian Imperial Force; he was an 8th Brigade Original. After training in Egypt, Willy’s Brigade fought in the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916, the first major engagement for Australians on the Western Front. Two years later, he was still with the 8th Brigade at the magnificent 'feat of arms' by the Australian Corps at Amiens; the ‘Black Day’ for the German Army and the beginning of the end of the War.

Willy served at the rank of Driver for his entire time on the Western Front – two years and four months. Willy got the adventure he sought, and more. He survived the heat and flies of Egypt; German snipers, artillery bombardments, gas attacks and raids on the Western Front; and the mud and trenches of Flanders and the Somme. From the day of his enlistment until the end of fighting, Willy’s time away from the 8th Brigade amounted to just two weeks. His is a remarkable tale of endurance, 'romanesque', that also reveals a great deal of how the front-line infantry were logistically supported on the Western Front.

The Foreword for this book is by Brigadier David Leece (Retd), a former Commander 8th Brigade.