William McHardy

Military Information

  • Date of enlistment:
  • Place of enlistment:
  • Service no:
  • Rank: 4th Engineer Officer
  • Service Occupation:
  • Awards:
  • Regiment/Service: S.S. Australdale
  • Unit/Ship: Mercantile Marine
  • Place of Death: Lost at Sea
  • Age at Death: 23
  • Date of Death: 19.10.1917
  • Burial Country:
  • Cemetery: Tower Hill Memorial, London
  • Grave/Mem Ref no:

Personal Information

  • Date of Birth: 1894
  • Place of Birth: Dundee
  • Address: 13 St Peter's Street, Dundee
  • Occupation:
  • Mother:

    Mary McHardy, 13 St. Peters St, Dundee

  • Father:

    William McHardy, 13 St. Peters St, Dundee

  • Siblings:
  • Spouse:
  • Children:

More about William McHardy

For reasons unknown this man is not listed on the original Dundee Roll of Honour

William McHardy was the son of Mr William and Mrs Mary McHardy of 13 St Peter’s Street, Dundee. He joined the SS Strathendrick, his first ship, in December 1915 and remained onboard when the ship changed her name to Australdale. Now operated by the Commonwealth Government Line of Steamers based in Brisbane, she was torpedoed by the German Submarine U-22 and sank 165 miles Northwest of Cape Villano, near La Corunna in Spain whist on passage from Barry to Gibraltar with a cargo of coal. Three boats got away, of which the lifeboat with 27 men was never heard of again. The other boats managed to make a landing in France, but two men died while the boats were adrift. William is believed to be one from the missing lifeboat. He is commemorated on the Australian Commemorative Roll, Canberra and the Tower Hill Memorial in London.

Information supplied by Gary Thomson.

Further information supplied by Iain Stewart and Iain Birnie

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