Herbert Edwin Williams was born in Sydney to Alice and Edward, one of seven siblings. His father died in 1906. By 1909 Herbert had passed the Civil Service Test and was working as a Survey Draftsman at the Sydney Harbour Trust for 30 shillings a week.
State Records NSW has in its archive collection a number of records related to World War One. This website will highlight some of these archives based around the themes of Service, Remembrance and the Home Front. Topics covered will include enemy alien interment, the conscription debate, women in the workforce, what Sydney looked like in the war years, war fundraising, the development of baby health clinics, the first Anzac Day, war memorials and how war affected the public service.
It is estimated that about 21,000 NSW soldiers, sailors and nurses were killed or died of wounds or sickness during World War One, with another 50,000 being wounded.
Australian women could only serve overseas if they joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). In NSW 513 women (out of 2861 women nationally) enlisted.[1]
From the days of the Boer War Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have undertaken military service. There are ongoing projects aimed at identifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who served in World War One, with some estimates indicating that as many as 1000 served in the military.
