Biography

Known as Billy. It appeared that the deceased promised to lend a rifle to a friend to go kangaroo shooting about 6 30 on the Friday evening. About that time, the deceased went to his room, evidently to get the rifle, and almost immediately on entering, an explosion was heard, the rifle having gone off, probably when being taken from behind the bed, the bullet going through deceased's head and lodging in the corner of the room. At the inquest held into the circumstances attending the death, the jury returned the verdict that the death was due to a bullet wound self-inflicted. William Watson was a returned soldier and with his brother, Charlie, had recently taken up pastoral country south of Youanmi. He spent his boyhood days in Mt. Magnet. A butcher by trade, he enlisted 14 January 1915 for active service abroad after the great war started. He suffered constantly from diarrhoea, then measles and eventually a malunited fracture of the patella. He was wounded at the Gallipoli landing, fracturing his patella when he fell over sandbags on the Peninsular. With wide separation of bone fragments of the patella, he never regained full power in the leg and was recommended for discharge. Watson was, at one time, a resident of Meekatharra, where he was employed on the Commodore, Consols and Fenian Mines at different times. William's parents were both West Australians. His father was born in Northampton, 16 August 1860, his mother 23 July 1861 in Perth. They were married 13 July 1881 at Strawberry, where they began their family with William Charles in 1882. Then followed 9 more children: Annie Ellen born 27 July 1884; Rose Louisa born 6 July 1886; Alexander Joseph born 27 August 1888; Alice Maud born 17 December 1891; Charles Irwin born 24 March 1893; Oliver Thomas John born 1895; Charlotte May born 26 August 1898; John Lockier born 8 January 1900; Phyllis Victoria born 8 September 1902. The children's father died 18 January 1930 at Mount Magnet. Annie died 13 December 1936 also at Mount Magnet.