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.
With the declaration of war on 4 August 1914 Australia found itself fighting a war (for the most part) on the other side of the world. The people of New South Wales responded to the new wartime demands in a variety of ways. Many volunteered to serve their state and the Commonwealth of Australia as soldiers and nurses.
