Biography of Bill Denny

• William Joseph Denny was born on 6 December 1872 in Adelaide, South Australia.

• He attended Christian Brothers College and worked as a weather clerk before becoming editor of the Catholic newspaper, The Southern Cross.

• In 1899, he unsuccessfully contested the seat of West Adelaide as a ULP candidate.

• He was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly in a by-election in 1900, and re-elected in 1902.

• In 1911, he became Attorney-General of South Australia.

• He was the Minister for the Northern Territory in the government led by John Verran in 1910-12.

• In 1915, he enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force to serve in World War I.

• He was awarded the Military Cross in September 1917 for his actions during the battle of Ypres.

• He was Attorney-General in the Labor governments led by John Gunn, Lionel Hill, and Robert Richards.

• He continued his reform of the housing sector, being a key proponent of the Thousand Homes Scheme which aimed to provide affordable housing, particularly for returned soldiers and their families, and lower income groups.

• He published two memoirs of his military service.

• He died in 1946 aged 73.

• He was accorded a state funeral.

• Denny enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1916.

• In 1917, he refused requests to endorse conscription and considered that intervention would not be compatible with his duties as a soldier.

• He was wounded on the night of 15 September 1917 and recommended for the Military Cross, which was later awarded to him.

• After recovering from his wounds, he was attached to the repatriation section of the AIF administration.

• Denny was born in 1879 in Adelaide, South Australia.

• He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915 and served overseas during World War I.

• He was discharged from the AIF in 1919 and published a memoir, The Diggers, in which he described his experiences in the war.

• In 1924, he was elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Labor MP for Adelaide.

• He served as Attorney-General in the Labor government of John Gunn and was also Minister for Housing, Railways, and Local Government.

• In 1931, he was acting Premier of South Australia and officiated at the unveiling of the National War Memorial.

• In 1933, he was elected to the Australian Senate and served until his death in 1945.

• Denny was born in 1878 in the town of Bordertown, South Australia.

• He served in World War I as a lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force.

• He was expelled from the Labor Party in 1931 for supporting the "Premiers' Plan", which sought to impose austerity measures due to the poor economic conditions.

• He lost his seat in the 1933 state election.

• In 1936, his brother the Catholic priest Reverend Denny and his sister, Mary Catherine Denny, were involved in a vehicle accident in which Mary received fatal injuries.

• Reverend Denny suffered from an illness that resulted from the accident and died in 1941.

• Denny wrote a further autobiographical book, A Digger at Home and Abroad, which was published in 1941.

• He continued to practice law until his death, despite difficulties associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

• Denny was "keenly interested" in sporting matters, a steward of the Adelaide Racing Club, and was an ex-captain of the Mercantile Rowing Club.

• He enjoyed diving for crayfish under the rocks at the back of Rosetta Head near Victor Harbor on Encounter Bay, and was often accompanied by Ephriam "Brownie" Tripp, an Aboriginal man from the Point McLeay Aboriginal Mission.

Bill Denny was born in Bordertown, South Australia in 1878. He served in World War I as a lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force and was expelled from the Labor Party in 1931 for supporting the "Premiers' Plan", which sought to impose austerity measures due to the poor economic conditions. He lost his seat in the 1933 state election. In 1936, his brother the Catholic priest Reverend Denny and his sister, Mary Catherine Denny, were involved in a vehicle accident in which Mary received fatal injuries. Reverend Denny suffered from an illness that resulted from the accident and died in 1941. Denny wrote a further autobiographical book, A Digger at Home and Abroad, which was published in 1941. He continued to practice law until his death, despite difficulties associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Denny was "keenly interested" in sporting matters, a steward of the Adelaide Racing Club, and was an ex-captain of the Mercantile Rowing Club. He enjoyed diving for crayfish under the rocks at the back of Rosetta Head near Victor Harbor on Encounter Bay, and was often accompanied by Ephriam "Brownie" Tripp, an Aboriginal man from the Point McLeay Aboriginal Mission.