Corporal William Paton Scammell, 10th Light Horse Regiment; later Home Service

Photo taken 1916

William Scammell was born in Exeter, Devon. His father Edward, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, was sent here by the British government in 1896 to investigate mining ventures with a view to British investment. While here he established Perth’s Chamber of Mines and Geraldton’s Chamber of Commerce, and was later the European Commissioner on Immigration to Western Australia.

When Edward left to return to England, William stayed. He was 24 years old, nearly six foot four, and working as a clerk in Perth when he enlisted in the 10th Light Horse Regiment in January 1915.

Though he reached the rank of corporal, chronic and increasing knee problems prevented his embarkation. It was probably fortunate as, being so large and the 10th Light Horse having suffered high casualties at Gallipoli, he would not likely have survived. 

He was eventually deemed unfit for overseas service in September but, determined to serve on the home front, he served with the Army Medical Corps at the Australian General Hospitals in Fremantle and Albany on 1 October. A short time later he was permanently discharged.

On the street, those who had been rejected or discharged from the AIF looked no different to those who chose not to enlist. Under increasing public condemnation, on 10 August 1917 William and a group of prominent parliamentarians formed The Rejects’ Association to represent men “who through no fault of their own are unable to bear arms in the present War”. Critically, they wore a badge that clearly identified them as rejected volunteers. 

The Association, for which William was Secretary, did not accept those rejected for bad character, venereal disease, crimes or misconduct, only those “rejected under standards which have since been raised and who might pass today if they were to present themselves to a recruiting office."

Denied the chance to fight for his country, he chose instead to protect those being harshly and unfairly judged from within it.

In time, two of his three sons served in WWII. After his youngest son was killed in an accidental shooting in 1943 and the death of his wife, Gladys (nee Mills) in 1944, he retired to York where he died in 1952, aged 62.