Private Andrew Wilson
- Rank
- Private
- Service number
- 3509
- Unit
- 11 Battalion
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Louverval, France
- Date of death
- 11 April 1917
- Age
- 26
- Plaque number
- M95A
- Co-located plaques
- M95 - PTE James Lewis
- Dedicated by
- Friend on 6 December 2025
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Andrew Wilson was born in Wallsend, New South Wales. His exact birth year is unknown, but it is believed to be 1893.
His parents, Archibald Torrance Wilson and Dora Eliza Haywood, were married in 1888 at Newcastle, New South Wales. Andrew was one of six siblings.
It is believed that Andrew and his family moved to Southern Cross, Western Australia around 1895, as three of his siblings were born there after that date.
Little is known about Andrew’s early years; however, his occupation was recorded as a lathe runner repairer.
Andrew’s father died in Perth in 1911, and his mother died at Southern Cross in 1917.
In August 1915, Andrew enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) where he conducted his training at Blackboy Hill.
He embarked from Fremantle in November 1915, attached to 11 Battalion with the 11 reinforcements for overseas service, arriving in Alexandria, Egypt in March 1916.
In April 1916, Andrew embarked for the Western Front in France, where he was sent into the frontline at the village of Pozieres in the Somme region.
During July 1916, Andrew moved into the trenches at a location known as Black Watch Alley. At this time, Andrew was wounded in action, sustaining a gunshot wound to his left shoulder.
He was evacuated to an Australian General Hospital in England to recover before returning to his battalion in October 1916.
In April 1917, Andrew was back in the frontline with his battalion, pushing towards the German defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line.
On 11 April, Andrew was positioned in an outpost on the frontline when he was killed by German machine-gun fire.
He was buried in ‘no man’s land’, where a marker was placed on his grave.
Private Andrew Wilson, service number 3509 of 11 Battalion, was killed in action on 11 April 1917 at Louverval, France. He was 24 years of age.
His battlefield grave was eventually lost. With no known grave, he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France.
His plaque is located alongside that of Private James Lewis, also of 11 Battalion.