William Henry Francis Willmott (16 May 1895 – 2 May 1947) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1938 until his death, representing the seat of Sussex. Willmott was born in

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

, in Western Australia's

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

region. His uncle, Francis Edward Sykes Willmott, and first cousin,

Francis Drake Willmott Francis Drake Willmott (23 January 1904 – 4 August 2004) was an Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1955 to 1974. He is the only member of the Parliament of Western Austra ...

, were both also members of parliament. As a boy, Willmott lived at the

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse __NOTOC__ The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on the headland of Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly point on the mainland of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was constructe ...

for several years, where his father was the lighthouse keeper. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in April 1916, and during the war served as a private with the

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

and 32nd Battalions. While fighting at

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, Belgium, Willmott lost one of his legs. After the war's end, he returned to Busselton to farm, and also served on the board of a dairy company. Representing the Nationalist Party, Willmott was elected to parliament at the 1938 Sussex by-election, which had been caused by the death of the sitting member, Edmund Brockman (a brother-in-law of Willmott's uncle). During the election campaign, he drove his car into a tree, which sent him into a brief coma and resulted in a broken rib and a severe concussion. Willmott retained his seat at the

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

, and 1947 state elections. However, he died in office in May 1947 (aged 51), after an extended illness."DEATH OF MR. W. H. F. WILLMOTT"
''The South-Western News'', 8 May 1947.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willmott, William 1895 births 1947 deaths Australian amputees Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel of World War I Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Busselton 20th-century Australian politicians Australian politicians with disabilities