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328:. The tour was a disappointment with the squad billeted out in college fraternity houses where the hospitality played havoc with team discipline and as result the team lost against two California University sides and three Canadian provincial sides. Watson played in the sole Test match of the tour as well as ten other tour matches of the total possible sixteen. He made appearances for New South Wales in 1913 against the visiting New Zealand Maori and he toured New Zealand with the 1913
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529:"For years was one of the best known soldiers of fortune in New Guinea. He recruited native labour (in a period he still refers to as his "blackbirding days"); traded around the island in crazy schooners; tried cattle ranching; worked as trader, beachcomber, plantation manager and then as a gold prospector in the then practically unknown Owen Stanley Ranges. Several times he struck it rich, and always the money seemed to run away"
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in 1986 as official Test matches. Though he was not aware of it at the time, Watson's three appearances as captain of New South Wales were Test match captaincy fixtures. All told Watson played 46 matches for
Newtown, 13 for Glebe-Balmain and 22 matches for New South Wales. He played 24 matches for
452:
troops from Europe, he was selected as captain of the AIF Rugby XV. The team represented the
Australian Forces in the King's Cup rugby competition among the nations represented in the allied armies with teams representing the British, Canadian, New Zealand and South African armies as well as the
579:, Watson took temporary command and the led a fighting retreat back towards the village of Deniki, a mile or so back along the Kokoda Track towards Isurava. For his bravery and leadership during the withdrawal, Watson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He was promoted to
490:
Back in
Australia after the war Watson took up first grade rugby again and at aged 32 joined the new venture Glebe-Balmain club, which had merged those two prior clubs as a result of the player losses each had suffered in the War. In 1920 he was selected as captain of the
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and other regional sides. Watson played in five of the eight games, all as captain and Howell credits the tour with reviving rugby union in eastern
Australia at a time when the game was in a weakened state and greatly threatened by the momentum built up by
547:, Watson returned to Australia and served in the 2nd Australian Garrison Battalion. In June 1940 his pre-war New Guinea experience (and his ability to speak local New Guinea dialect) was put to use when he was posted to the
435:"in one case he worked his way forward several hundred yards in front of outposts, directing the fire of three batteries, which gave great assistance to the infantry by barraging machine gun nests and strong posts"
316:
to
Australian parents, Watson's father Robert was a blacksmith who had been born in Tasmania. At age 24 William relocated to Sydney and joined the inner-city Newtown Rugby Union Club, playing at
626:
363:
which broke out during the tour, cut short Watson's rugby career as it did for so many other promising players yet would provide ample opportunity for grave displays of valour and courage.
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Watson returned to the US after the war. From 1945 to 1952 he served as
Australia's vice-consul in New York. He died in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Brooklyn, New York in 1961.
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on 2–3 October 1918 when although badly gassed, he tried to save the life of a wounded officer and stayed in command of his battery until withdrawn from the line.
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387:. After his discharge, back in Sydney Watson enlisted as a Gunner in the 1st Divisional Artillery in March 1915. His unit embarked from Sydney on board
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and in a
Metropolitan Sydney side in a mid-week game. An injury prevented his selection in further representative appearances against them.
402:. He landed there in August and joined the 1st Field Artillery Brigade. Evacuated from Gallipoli via Egypt his unit was transferred to the
273:
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469:. After the competition the AIF XV played a number of games in South Africa and played eight games in Australia against national,
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toured to Sydney in 1914 Watson was picked to play against them for New South Wales, as a
Wallaby in the first Test in at the
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side of the period and a number of their fixtures of 1920s played against full international opposition were decreed by the
235:
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555:. He took command of the unit in 1942. Upon Japan's invasion of New Guinea on 21 July 1942 and the commencement of the
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Comrades in Arms and Rugby - The
Remarkable Achievements of the 1919 Australian Imperial Force Rugby Union Squad
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in March 1916 and soon promoted to
Sergeant. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in September 1917.
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457:. The AIF XV played 16 matches winning 12 and featured a number of Wallaby representatives including
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airstrip on 28 July 1942. Upon the death in action of the battalion commander Lieutenant-Colonel
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working in copra production and gold-mining. Fitzsimons quotes from the Johnston reference:
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were the first Australian Army unit to make contact with the Japanese. Together with the
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in August 1914 and seeing early action in operations seizing German wireless stations in
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531:. In Sydney in 1929 he married American-born Cora May Callear. They would relocate to
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in eight Test matches and captaining the national side on three occasions. During the
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Australia including the three NSW Tests of 1920 plus five other pre-war Tests.
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At war's end and during the long process of disembarking 250,000 Australian
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which engaged the Japanese in the first unsuccessful defence of the
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Sweeting, A. J. (1990) 'Watson, William Thornton (1887–1961)',
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1912 Australia rugby union tour of Canada and the United States
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administration or competition in place from 1919 to 1929, the
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for conspicuous gallantry displayed in heavy bombardment near
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National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
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packing the scrum in a consistent front-row combination with
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in June 1915. A letter home from his Wallaby team-mate
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From 1920 to 25 and then from 1932 to 39 he lived in
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team and led them in three matches against a touring
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482:'s continuance of competition throughout the war.
373:Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
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429:for gallantry as forward Observation Officer at
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833:Australian Rugby Team (Touring America), 1912,
320:. In 1912 he made his representative debut for
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300:. Following the war, he served as Australia's
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837:, (Wednesday, 18 September 1912), p. 15.
583:on 1 September 1942 and in that rank was the
371:Watson enlisted early in the war joining the
1064:Rugby union players from Nelson, New Zealand
1059:Australian military personnel of World War I
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421:and shortly thereafter was promoted to full
268:(10 November 1887 – 9 September 1961) was a
1044:Australia international rugby union players
437:Late in the war he would earn a bar to his
276:in both World Wars. Prior to and after the
1009:Watson's service record at the AIF project
975:Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 12
885:AIF project Commonwealth Gazette 1917 #189
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903:AIF project Commonwealth Gazette 1920 #10
894:AIF project Commonwealth Gazette 1919 #61
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768:"Scrum.com player profile of Bill Watson"
1074:New South Wales rugby union team players
996:Gordon Bray presents The Spirit of Rugby
535:in 1935 and raise a son and a daughter.
324:and that same year was selected for the
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718:Australian national rugby union captain
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934:Fitzsimons p182 quotes Johnston p168
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587:of the PIB through till April 1944.
413:he was in November 1917 awarded the
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998:, Harper Collins Publishers Sydney
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700:Australia Service Medal 1939–1945
425:. In May 1919 he was awarded the
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272:who served as an officer in the
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991:, Angus & Robertson, Sydney
970:, Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ.
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539:Second World War and later life
398:says that Watson saw action at
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987:Johnston, George H. (1943)
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415:Distinguished Conduct Medal
308:Early life and rugby career
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980:Fitzsimons, Peter (2004)
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914:"Drummoyne Club History"
505:New South Wales Waratahs
162:Provincial / State sides
916:. Drummoynerugby.com.au
543:At the commencement of
280:he had a distinguished
254:William Thornton Watson
32:William Thornton Watson
517:Australian Rugby Union
501:Queensland Rugby Union
557:Kokoda Track campaign
493:New South Wales state
357:Sydney Cricket Ground
284:career, representing
433:on 27 August 1918 –
205:International career
984:Hachette, Australia
835:The Daily Telegraph
314:Nelson, New Zealand
290:New Guinea Campaign
56:Nelson, New Zealand
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1014:Watson's ADB entry
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872:p48 1st published
594:Honours and awards
585:commanding officer
93:Rugby union career
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685:1939/45 Star
670:1914–15 Star
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67:(1961-09-09)
18:Rugby player
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1054:1961 deaths
1049:1887 births
964:Howell, Max
874:The Referee
868:Reproduced
859:AIF Project
770:. Scrum.com
711:Jimmy Flynn
513:rugby union
486:Interbellum
459:Dan Carroll
431:Faucoucourt
385:New Ireland
381:New Britain
361:World War I
334:Larry Dwyer
282:rugby union
103:Position(s)
1028:Categories
951:References
847:Howell p69
823:Howell p68
811:Howell p70
661:(with bar)
509:Australian
497:All Blacks
475:Queensland
443:Bellicourt
423:lieutenant
353:All Blacks
43:1887-11-10
29:Birth name
876:Sept,1915
737:Footnotes
695:War Medal
463:Bill Cody
400:Gallipoli
389:HMAT A35
351:When the
330:Wallabies
286:Australia
236:Wallabies
920:1 August
312:Born in
226:(Points)
183:(Points)
148:Newtown
141:1911–14
135:(Points)
78:New York
966:(2005)
774:12 July
391:Berrima
292:in the
232:1912–20
189:1912–20
982:Kokoda
573:Kokoda
559:, the
143:1919
85:Spouse
722:1920
581:major
338:Tests
211:Years
168:Years
120:Years
922:2011
776:2010
553:NCOs
465:and
417:for
383:and
344:and
318:prop
221:Apps
216:Team
178:Apps
173:Team
150:AIF
145:1920
130:Apps
125:Team
108:prop
795:ADB
561:PIB
455:RAF
450:AIF
379:at
266:DCM
258:DSO
243:(0)
193:NSW
1030::
852:^
816:^
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784:^
745:^
473:,
461:,
439:MC
348:.
264:,
262:MC
260:,
256:,
200:()
197:22
157:()
924:.
778:.
240:8
45:)
41:(
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