Military History

Embarked NK.
Roll Rank Captain
Roll Unit 3rd Division Training, Canadian Army Service Corps
Rason embarked for France with the 3rd Division Training. He transferred to the Canadian Railway Troops. The 3rd Canadian Division took Valenciennes in a 2 day battle on the 1-2 November 1918. They advanced after the retreating German Army, towards Mons (Canadian War Memorial WW1). Rason was KIA during this advance to Belgium 5.11.1918 prior to the capture of Mons on 10.11.1918. He was buried A 20 Douai British Cemetery, Cuincy, Nord France.
Notes Rason’s Father, the Hon. Cornthwaite Rason was a previous Premier of Western Australia (1905-1906), Colonial Treasurer and held the seat of Swan, Western Australia from 1889-1906. Rason's father left WA for London and took up the position of Agent General for WA in London in 1906. His move overseas was contraversial and challenged (The Sun Kalgoorlie 1.7.1906 p4).  William  Rason was recorded in the Kalgoorlie Miner a having been arty to a fatal frank killing a classmate at Guildford garmmar School.  As William  was six years older than the boy killed, it is probable that the paper incorrectly record his name, rather than that of his brother Ernest Hector, who was in te same class as the deceased  (Kalgoorlie Miner 16.11.1905 p5) Previous family addresses include Swan Street, Guildford, James Street, Guildford (1902), 14 Meadow Street, Guildford (1903-1905). It has not been possible to identify his 2 earlier Guildford homes.
Photos Valenciennes, France 1918. Donor British Official Photograph N875. Photograph source AWM H09717
             Grave of William Henty Rason. Photographer Julie Lukins, photograph source Canadian Virtual War Memorial website


Information Source
AWM H09717. Valenciennes, France 1918. Donor British Official Photograph N875. Photograph sourced from the Pictorial Collection of the Australian War Memorial
Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Grave of William Henty Rason. Photographer Julie Lukins, photograph source Canadian Virtual War Memorial website, http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/321758
Canadian  Virtual War Memorial- Canada and the first World War http://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/battles-and-fighting/land-battles/mons/
Canadians at War webpage,  www.canadaatwar.ca/.../world-war.../Canadian%20Army%20Service%20
Canadian Virtual War Memorial website,  http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/321758
CWGC  website, http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/33201/DOUAI%20BRITISH%20CEMETERY,%20CUINCY
Guildford Grammar School Honour Roll
Kalgoorlie Miner
The Sun Kalgoorlie
Wise H. and Coy. Western Australian Post Office Directories. SLWA


James Street, Guildford, WA (1900-1902)
14 Meadow Street, Guildford, WA (1903-1906)

Associated Images