WILSON, David Guthrie

David Guthrie Draver (known as Guthrie) Wilson was born in 1898 in Kew.  He was the son of Arthur George Wilson and his wife, Emily, nee Spence.  In 1902 the family moved to 130 Grey Street, East Melbourne, the middle of three terrace houses.  Arthur, a clerk, died shortly after.  Emily was a boarding house keeper and managed both 130 and 128 Grey Street as boarding houses.  In 1912 she was able to buy all three terraces and continued to run them as boarding houses.

Guthrie enlisted on 24 February 1916.  He was a labourer and had had one year's military experience with the Senior Cadets, 64 East Melbourne.  He was appointed to the 22nd Battalion, 13th Reinforcements as a private.

He embarked on 3 July 1916 aboard the Ayrshire and disembarked at Plymouth two months later and was taken on strength with the 6th Training Battalion. He was soon in trouble. He was charged with 'Conduct to the prejudice of good order & Military Discipline', and two days later with being, 'Absent without leave from 2 p.m. parade'.  He was awarded 28 days detention.  He proceeded overseas to France in mid-November and was taken on strength of the 22nd Battalion from the 13th Reinforcements.  Again it was not long before he was in trouble.  He was awarded Field Punishment of 10 days for 'losing by neglect portion of his regimental necessaries in that he abandoned a blanket in billet when he marched out.'  In early January 1917 he was awarded 72 hours Field Punishment for'Conduct to the prejudice of good order & Military Discipline to wit appearing on morning parade in a dirty conditon.'  On 3 May 1917 he was killed in action in France.  A witness reported, 

I saw him shot just as we got up to the German barbed wire at Bullecourt on May 3rd.  He was hit in the stomach.  He died in a few minutes while we were there.  I saw his dead body.  We bound him up but could do nothing further for him just before he died.

His mother, Emily, by then living at 121 Grey Street, was awarded a pension of 40/- per fortnight, and his sister, Clarice, of the same address was awarded 15/- a fortnight.

His name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.