| William Nagle
A32193 DWO William Nagle, VMSM, AMM, LESM
Soldier, author, actor and larrikin 4/7/47 - 5/3/02 Bill Nagle was a soldier and author who won the Australian Book of the Year prize for his novel The Odd Angry Shot, on his experience of Vietnam, which he knocked out in six sleepless days. Born in Bacchus Marsh, Bill attended St Joseph's College in Geelong, as a boarder and on leaving school at 17, he joined the Australian Army. He completed his basic training at Kapooka near Wagga and served in various units until at 18 he applied to join the Special Air Service Regiment based at Swanbourne near Perth. His unit, the Third SAS Regiment, did a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1966. When a mortar exploded in front of his troop carrier, he was hit in the back with shrapnel, his nose was broken and four front teeth were knocked out. Contrary to his hopes he was not sent home and was forced to serve his full 12 months. His nose was broken a second time when, while laughing at a group of Americans getting a whipping from several Aussie soldiers, a giant American soldier decided to wipe the smile off his face. On discharge from the army at 21, he began working for Channel 7 in Melbourne as a member of the floor crew. Suddenly he resigned and announced he was going to write a book about Vietnam, not about the horrors of war but with a focus on the mateship he had encountered. His family took his undertaking with a grain of salt, but after writing 24 hours a day for six days straight, much to their amazement, he finished the first draft. When published, The Odd Angry Shot received the joint Australian Book of the Year award and was produced as a movie starring John Jarrat, John Hargreaves and Graham Kennedy. Bill also wrote and acted on various television productions including The Sullivans. A connoisseur of the pub environment, when working next door to a pub in South Melbourne, he would often joke with coworkers that they should build a door in the wall that gave direct access to the pub because that was where most of the business occurred anyway. A notorious larrikin, he would often take his five-year-old niece to the pub, ostensibly for lunch. His niece enjoyed eating lemons and Bill and his mates would bet the locals $50 that they could make her eat one. After cleaning everyone out, Bill would shout her a lemonade. He later wrote and produced Death of a Soldier, which told the story of Eddie Leonski, an American GI hanged in Melbourne for the murders of three women during World War II. A great story-teller, he liked nothing better that whiling away a few hours down at his local and telling a good tale over a few beers. He moved to the US about 10 years ago and established himself in Los Angeles where he died. He leaves his wife, Laura Glendinning-Nagle in the US, and sister Colleen, niece Siobhan and nephew William in Australia. Bill established a scholarship fund through St Joseph's College Newtown, Geelong. His memorial service was held in LA at his favourite bar, Bergins on Fairfax Ave. Herald Sun Bill joined the Legion on 12 August 1980 and was a regular guest at Induction Day Parades for new recruits for the Rupertswood Battery of Horse Artillery with A32062 Lt. Col. (LF) John Frewen who had nephews as members of the Battery. 
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