Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

17/08/1914

Date of Discharge

22/09/1919

Place of Enlistment

Sydney NSW

Gender

Male

Date of Birth

25/11/1890

Place of Birth

Tarago NSW

Address (at enlistment)

Ginninderra ACT

Occupation

Hospital attendant

Next of Kin

James Carney (brother), Victoria Barracks, Sydney NSW

Service Number

1110, 5936

Final Rank

Sergeant

Final Unit

18 Battalion AIF

Carney came from Tarago and lived and worked at Everard Crace's Gungahleen property before World War 1 along with some of his siblings including his brother Patrick (Jack) Carney. He enlisted in August 1914 and served on Gallipoli with the 3rd Battalion from 25 April to 30 April 1915 when he was evacuated with rheumatic fever. He returned to Australia and was discharged as medically unfit on 22 November 1915.

William Carney enlisted for the second time on 19 April 1916 and arrived in France in December 1916 as a reinforcement for the 18th Battalion. He received a gun shot wound to the arm in May 1917 during the Second Battle of Bullecourt and spent time in hospitals in Rouen and Harefield in England.

After recovering from that injury he rejoined his unit in Belgium in January 1918. He was appointed a Lance Sergeant in May 1918 and then a Sergeant on 1 November 1918. During 1918 the 18th Battalion fought at Hangard Wood, Ville-sur-Ancre, Warfusee, Framevilliers, Rainecourt and Mont St Quentin. Their final action of the war was at Montbrehain on 3 October 1918 - the last infantry battle involving the AIF on the Western Front.

While at Ginninderra he had met Vera Curran and they met again in Sydney after the war. They married in 1920 and, shortly after the birth of their second daughter, they took up a soldier settlement property near Hall in the ACT. Carney cleared the land and built a house on the property called "Charnwood" on Wallaroo Road, where he raised sheep. A third daughter, Estelle, was born in Yass hospital in 1931. Carney became a popular member of the Hall community, running sporting and other community activities such as cinema and dances. He helped organise and was the MC at the Hall Show (precursor to the Canberra Show) for a number of years.

Sadly in 1937, Vera died of pneumonia, leaving William to raise three daughters alone. He subsequently gave up raising sheep and took a public service job with the Census and Statistics Department. In 1950, he moved to Forster NSW where he had a small business for some years. A stroke and poor health in later life saw him return to Canberra, where he was cared for in the Canberra Hospital until his death on 25 May 1970. He is buried in Woden Cemetery.

Lyall Gillespie, 'Ginninderra - Forerunner to Canberra', 1992
Information and image provided by Merran Martin
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)