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William John Turnbull was a labourer, born in Mount Gambier South Australia. At enlistement William was 5’11 and 1/2 inches tall. He weighed 163lbs and had brown hair and blue eyes.

William enlisted on 2/2/1915. He was 28 11/12 years. When William was fighting, he went to the military hospital for suspected malaria (a disease from mosquito) on 15/9/16. 180 days later was sent to A.D.H 9 (Australian Dermatological Hospital) on 4/4/17. William was awarded the “1914/15 Star” medal for fighting in the war from the beginning, he was the 6277th recipient. He received the “British War Medal” and the “Victory” medal. 

William was the son of Donald TURNBULL & Mary BIGHAM and was born on the 28th of March 1886 in Yahl Paddock, Mt Gambier, SA.

His parents were married on the 13th of March 1886 at the residence of Mary’s parents in Mt Gambier, SA.

His father was the son of William TURNBULL & Mary McMillan MCCALMAN and was born on the 3rd of November 1858 at Morgiana Station, near Hamilton, VIC.
His mother was the daughter of John BIGHAM & Margaret BARR and was born on the 13th of March 1863 in Mt Remarkable, SA.

William was the eldest child born into the family of 3 children.

His father was a farmer and the family lived at Glenburnie, near Mt Gambier

William was only 5 years old when his mother died in the Mt Gambier Hospital of Consumption on the 26th of May 1891 in Mt Gambier.
They buried her in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section B, Plot 167.

William’s grandparents BIGHAM and grandmother TURNBULL then helped to raise the children.
His grandmother Mary TURNBULL then died on the 7th of March 1897 and they buried her in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section B, Plot 101.

After leaving school William gained employment as a labourer and in 1910 he was the best man at his aunties, Jessie BIGHAM’s wedding in Glenburnie.

At the age of 29, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 2nd of February 1915 in Keswick, SA and was allotted the service number 216 and posted to Base Depot at Oaklands. On the 30th of June he was transferred to the 27th Battalion, A Company, at Mitcham Camp as a driver. The 27th Battalion was part of the 7th Brigade.

William embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Geelong on the 31st of May 1915 and served for 4 years in France.
Sadly while he was overseas his grandfather; John BIGHAM died from heart failure on the 6th of October 1915 and was buried in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section M, Plot 23.

His father then died on the 11th of February 1917 in Mt Gambier and was buried in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section B, Plot 167, with William’s mother Mary.

Then the following month his grandmother; Margaret BIGHAM, died on the 28th of March and was buried in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section M, Plot 22.

William finally embarked from England on the 8th of April 1919 on board HMAT Tras-os-Montes, disembarking in Adelaide on the Tuesday the 20th of May.

The following day he boarded the train to Mt Gambier and arrived in the evening.
The train was over an hour late, and the night was cold, with a light rain, and the result was that the concourse of people who assembled at the Town Hall to welcome William and 2 other soldiers was not a large one.
When the 3 soldiers and their friends were seated on the platform in front of the hall, speeches of welcome were delivered on behalf of the townspeople by the Mayor, by Colonel. F. H. Howland on behalf of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers League and Lieutenant W. K. Glass for the Cheer-up Society.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 1st of August 1919.

William then gained employment at Torrensdale, Mt Gambier, as a labourer and later became a member of the Coonawarra RSL Sub-Branch when he moved to Mil Lel, near Mt Gambier in the late 1930’s.

William died in the Mt Gambier Hospital on the 7th of October 1940 and he was buried 2 days later in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section B, Plot 166, next to his parents.

Military

At the age of 29, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 2nd of February 1915 in Keswick, SA and was allotted the service number 216 and posted to Base Depot at Oaklands.
He listed his uncle, Mr Andrew Carrick BIGHAM, of Compton, Mt Gambier, SA, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of March he was transferred to the 24th Battalion and then on the 30th of June he was transferred to the 27th Battalion, A Company, at Mitcham Camp as a driver. The 27th Battalion was part of the 7th Brigade.

Despite the dust of the first few weeks and the mud of later days, very great pride was taken in the Battalion quarters. All ranks were accommodated in the old-fashioned tents, and set themselves with cheerfulness and thoroughness to make themselves as cozy as possible. The necessary physical and disciplinary training was carried out with all celerity, and it was not long before the unit was sufficiently trained for embarkation.

The newly-formed Cheer Up Society in Adelaide, founded to give cheer to local and visiting soldiers, made the comfort of the men in camp their particular care, and were responsible for countless acts of kindness and forethought which went far to relieve the monotony and tedium of life under canvas.

The early morning of May 31st found William and his Battalion in the bustle of preparation for their first real move as an organized unit. The principal stores and equipment had already been taken on board, and when final inspections were over the troops were entrained from Mitcham on two special trains.

Upon arrival at the Outer Harbor, where the troopship Geelong, officially registered as A 2, was lying, a very great crowd of friends was found already assembled to bid the lads Good-bye. Very little time was lost in embarking the battalion.
The regimental band was mustered on the upper deck, and, until the transport sailed, enlivened the proceedings with a fine program of music. Amid the greatest enthusiasm from soldiers and civilians alike the transport slowly swung out from the wharf, while fluttering ribbons and waving flags evidenced the deep sentiment of affection which characterized the parting.

And so they sailed, these men of the Twenty-Seventh Battalion, bound overseas to take their part in the mighty conflict between nations, leaving behind sorrowing but brave hearts to bear the suspense of separation, and to pray for the safe return of their dear ones.

Slowly the troopship left the wharf, the long streaming ribbons grow taut and snapped and the band played farewell music.
To William and the men on board the cheering grew faint, the groups of watching figures on the wharf merged into one another, and their home-land faded from sight.

The great majority of the men were unused to sea life and found troopship conditions uncomfortable in the extreme, but with a ready will and buoyant spirit soon set themselves to overcome the monotony of the voyage. A certain amount of physical exercise was possible and regular instructional parades were held, sports and concert committees worked hard with excellent results and after leaving Western Australia, where other troops were embarked, everybody had settled down to the novel surroundings.

As usual with troopship sailings, their course and destination were unknown, but it was generally surmised that their destination was Egypt enroute to Gallipoli.
From Western Australia their course lay direct to Suez and for a few days the ship was buffeted and tossed under the influence of monsoons, but as they neared the equatorial waters better conditions prevailed and life on board passed smoothly enough.
William remembered how the troopship wallowed and rolled on the slightest provocation.

An incident which occasioned much sorrow on board was the passing away of their comrade W. A. Graham, of Hamley Bridge, who died on board and was buried at sea. He was the first of the lads to answer the roll call for the “Other World and his death was deeply mourned.
On the night following his death, at about ten o’clock, the officers assembled in the stern of the ship and in the absence of a Protestant Chaplain, Colonel Dollman read the burial service and his body was committed to the deep. Then in the impressive stillness of the starlit night, the silence deepened by the fact that the monotonous throbbing of the engines had ceased, the body was gently and tenderly given to the waves. A minutes solemn silence, and then full steam ahead, and they left their soldier to his rest.

When passing Aden, at the entrance to the Red Sea, news was received by wireless of a native rising against the garrison there, and although the possibility of their landing was discussed, their services were not requisitioned. A day or two later, in the early morning, wireless calls reached them from a vessel in distress.
A dusty haze from the African shore made visibility difficult, but soon after daylight they sighted a British-Indian ship aground upon one of the many islands which abound thereabouts.
The Geelong stopped and the stranded ship put off a boat, and some of her officers came on board. The Geelong’s captain undertook to stand by and afford what relief he could, but the arrival of a collier and almost simultaneously a wireless message from Aden that a rescue ship had been dispatched, enabled William and the Geelong to continue their voyage towards Suez, leaving the collier to stand guard.

Suez was sighted on July 5th and the next morning instructions reached them to disembark and proceed by train to Cairo.
While lying at the wharf they saw the troopship Ballarat leave for Australia with the first batch of wounded men from Gallipoli.

They traveled from Suez to Heliopolis in three special trains, the last one arriving in the early hours of the morning.
Their first camp was on the outskirts of the city, and was known as the Aerodrome Camp.
Here William and the 27th Battalion were attached temporarily to the 5th Brigade, the other battalions of the 7th Brigade having been isolated on account of an outbreak of measles while on the voyage.
Their accommodation was very comfortable, the sleeping quarters being airy tents, and dining and recreation huts being provided. Plenty of shower baths were available, and as an issue of tropical clothing was made, the troops very soon adapted themselves to the new conditions.

Reveille was at 4 am daily, and training was carried on till 8 am, and after breakfast theoretical training occupied the time between 10 and noon. At four in the afternoon training recommenced and continued until seven. Limited evening leave was given, and each week-end a liberal proportion of men were given freedom on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

About a fortnight after their arrival they moved camp to Abbassia and joined the other units of the brigade. A detailed program of work was carried out, including trench digging, night marches, and attack and defence practices.
Among the duties which fell to them was that of garrisoning the Kasr-el-Nil Barracks at Cairo and supplying a town picquet and several guards. This work was very well done and gained commendation from the Imperial authorities.
Several instructional courses were held for the benefit of officers and non-commissioned officers. These, together with the hearty and enthusiastic interest shown by the rank and file in the various branches of training, soon brought the Battalion to a high state of efficiency.

After a period of two months in Egypt, instructions were received to prepare for embarkation for Gallipoli and immediate steps were taken to completely overhaul all equipment, and make good any deficiencies.

On the night of September 3rd, William’s Battalion boarded trains for Alexandria, however, William was left behind with the Transport Section in Heliopolis, so did not embarked fro Gallipoli.
After 3 months at Gallipoli, William’s Battalion embarked on the 12th of December and disembarked 4 days later in Lemnos, where they spent Christmas 1915.
On the 8th of January 1916 they, together with the 23rd and 24th Battalions, embarked on the transport Minnewaska, and after an anxious but uneventful voyage, arrived at Alexandria two days later.
The 27th Battalion were at once entrained for Tel-el-Kebir, where they arrived about midnight, and found many members of the Battalion who had been evacuated from Gallipoli through sickness and wounds, waiting to rejoin their unit.

This also included William, who joined them on the same day.

The plains of Tel-el-Kebir made a splendid camping ground. A fine canal ran parallel with the front of the camp, and along its banks some excellent plantations and gardens were flourishing, while the railway from Suez to Cairo also crossed the front, the railway station being in the township about a mile distant.
The desert on their side of the canal was studded with many colored pebbles, which made the ground solid and suitable for marching, but on the other side of the canal beyond the irrigation belt, there were great moving sand hills most wearisome to tramp over.

The locality was of historic interest from the fact that just beyond their lines were the original earthworks thrown up by Arabi Pasha’s force in 1882, when Sir Garnet Wolseley inflicted so decisive a defeat upon the rebels.
William and his Battalion found many interesting war trophies and mementos of this historic battlefield, and they never tired of wandering over the old defensive works and in fancy fighting the battle of Tel-el-Kebir as they imagined it was fought thirty-four years earlier.
Very limited leave was possible here, and soon the whole of the Australian forces were concentrated, and their camping ground made a noble show. Training was vigorously carried out in preparation for expected operations against a threatened Turkish invasion of Egypt.

On the 3rd of February they entrained once more and proceeded to Ismalia, where the Suez Canal was crossed by pontoon bridges. Here they took up a new position on the Asiatic shore, on the exact spot where the Turks had made their ill-fated dash on the Canal in 1915.
Defensive positions were at once commenced, both at the canal and in the desert about ten miles inland. The Camel Corps was much in evidence in the making of a road, and a desert railway was laid down.
Most of their time was taken up in digging and fortifying trenches and supplying outposts, but as much training as possible was carried out.

On the 2nd of March William was transferred to the newly formed 7th Brigade Machine Gun Company.
On the 5th of March they re-crossed the canal and marched to Moascar, where preparations were commenced for their move to France. They occupied the lines of a New Zealand unit which had taken over the duties they had held on the other side of the canal. They were inspected by General Birdwood, who gave them much valuable advice as to the new conditions they would experience in France.

On March 14th 1916 they entrained for Alexandria, being part of the first Australian force to leave for Europe. The 7th Brigade was given pride of place and they embarked on the troopship Northland on March 15th for Marseilles. The voyage was a smooth one, although the presence of enemy submarines made it necessary that very great precaution should be taken, but despite many alarms they safely reached port. It was with mingled feelings on the morning of March 21st that they watched the shores of France drawing close, and as the vessel slowly made its way to the wharf side the band mustered on deck and lustily played the Marseillaise, to the evident delight of the waiting population.
As the first Australian troops to arrive en route to the battle line a wonderful reception was accorded to the different Battalions of the Brigade, and the utmost enthusiasm demonstrated the deep-seated sense of appreciation which the French nation held for the men from Greater Britain.
Everything was at once got ready for disembarkation, but no one was allowed ashore, and during the afternoon instructions arrived that they would leave Marseilles by train at 1am the next morning. Just before midnight therefore they left the ship and marched through the streets to the railway station, the band performing wonderfully well. The whole of the 26th Battalion and half of the 27th Battalion, with the 7th Field Ambulance, numbering in all about 1,500 men, were accommodated in one train, which consisted of fifty coaches drawn by very powerful engines.

The work of entrainment was slow, but eventually they pulled out of the station bound for the north. The south of France was just wakening from its winter sleep, and the crisp air of an early spring was very invigorating after their recent sojourn in the sweltering heat of Egypt. The trees were just clothing themselves in their new season’s raiment, and hedges and fields were sparkling with brilliant points of dew.
The villages and towns, clean, tidy, and picturesque, were visions of delight to their eyes after the squalid native villages of Egypt, while the wide smooth roads, stretching like ribbons across the green landscape, were pictures of municipal perfection.

The railway ran along the Rhone Valley, and the endless change of panoramic beauty called forth expressions of appreciation from even the most unimpressionable Diggers. The inhabitants of the various towns through which they passed were wildly enthusiastic, and at almost every stop hospitality was offered and accepted. Rations, principally tinned meat and biscuits, were carried in bulk on the train, and a daily issue was made by the quarter-master.
The flag of the 27th Battalion, which had a map of Australia as its central design, was displayed as they passed through the towns, and evoked great interest among the French people.
At one of the wayside stations where their train was halted a number of our men were walking up and down the platform by way of exercise, when an aged peasant threw his arms round the neck of one of them and kissed him heartily on both cheeks. The young Australian flushed in dismay, not being familiar with this French method of greeting, but his dismay was not such as to prevent his glancing at some bonnie French girls nearby, as though inviting them to follow the lead so nobly given by their aged compatriot.

During the rail journey a few of the men found it hard to restrain their enthusiasm, and some adventurous spirits even essayed to ride on the tops of the railway coaches, as they had been wont to do in Egypt. Despite several warnings this was persisted in, until one unfortunate lad of the 7th Field Ambulance met his death through the train suddenly plunging into a tunnel.
This sad occurrence had the effect of restraining the boys from riding in such an unorthodox manner, but not being used to such cramped conditions of travel as were necessitated by the coaches provided, they relieved the congestion by riding upon the steps and even the couplings of the train.

One man, who lingered rather too long at a wayside station, missed the troop train. When his predicament was understood by the railway officials they took steps to entertain him, and later placed him on the Paris express, on which he traveled in luxury and comfort, passing our slow moving train, and was later left at a large city station, where he waited in delightful unconcern until our train steamed in, when he rejoined his envious comrades and regaled them with the story of his journey, in the telling of which he let his fancy have loose rein.

It was interesting to note the changes in the landscape as they got further north, and on the third night of their journey they ran into a severe snowstorm. They had left behind the genial south, with its opening spring, and found instead a whitened north where bitter cold and winter still held sway.
Snow had covered everything, and William felt the change of temperature very keenly.
Just before midday on March 24th they disentrained at Thiennes and after unloading their baggage, marched through snow to Morbecque, about five miles distant, and were accommodated in huts lately occupied by British troops.
The weather was bitterly cold, and they were glad when next day they moved out of the huts and were billeted among the surrounding population.
Billeting in France was for lodging only, for which the inhabitant or owner of the premises received an allowance per head for the troops accommodated. For the most part barns and sheds were secured, while each company established its kitchen in some central position. A feature of the French farms was a pond or midden into which all house and other refuse was thrown, and these were periodically emptied to manure the surrounding fields.

To Australians this appeared a most unhealthy and unsanitary procedure, but the French folk appear to take no harm.
One time, two members of the 27th Battalion were returning to their billets after an evening spent in the village, when one of them, walking too close to the edge of a midden, managed to fall in.
His companion viewed the incident with composure for a few minutes and then gravely plunged in to the rescue. Both men waded to safety, and, somewhat chastened by the incident, proceeded to their quarters, where their appearance and the unsavory odor resulting from their immersion, called forth much uncomplimentary comment from their mates. Eventually they were compelled to disrobe outside, and leave their clothing in the fresh air to sweeten. They applied for a fresh issue next day.

William found the French people very anxious to do everything possible for their comfort, and the men did their part in honoring and respecting the home life of their hosts. The French children in particular were great favorites with the troops, who taught them to speak the Digger tongue and sing the Diggers songs.

The attempts of the Australians to make themselves understood were oftentimes very droll, but their ready wit carried them through the most intricate commercial transactions with the business people and villagers.
They daily saw British regiments passing through on their way to the front, and the sound of gunfire was practically continuous, while at night time the horizon was lighted with the glare of rockets and flares.
On April 4th 1916 the whole of the 7th Brigade marched forward with the 27th Battalion leading the column. Their first night’s halt was at Outerstein and the next at Erquinghem, where the Battalion headquarters were in an old chateau, with oak beams bearing the date 1616 supporting the roof, while the moat and drawbridge were still in good order.

Brigade headquarters were established in the Rue Marie, Armentieres, and the morning after they arrival the Battalion’s went into the front line. The position was then held by a Battalion of Northumberland Fusiliers and they relieved them on the night of April 7th with William and his Company providing the artillery coverage.
The trenches, which were really breastworks of sand bags, were in a bad state of repair. The country being low-lying, it was impossible to dig trenches except for drainage purposes, while the traffic was over duck boards, of which were broken.

The arrival of the 7th Brigade and the attitude adopted by them soon altered the demeanor of the opposing Germans, and a notice was received by means of a rifle grenade fired into the lines of the 28th Battalion at a point where the trenches were only about thirty yards apart.
The notice read, in effect: Welcome, you brave Australian heroes; soon your blood will stain the fields of France. You will find the German dog can bite. “Witness Verdun”.

On June 7th 1916, the trenches were handed over to the 5th Brigade and William and the 7th Brigade took up quarters in huts at La Rolanderie, near Erquinghem, where they were used in the construction and strengthening of the Bois Grenier line of defence. La Rolanderie was a big farm house with a wide moat surrounding it.
On one afternoon teams selected from two of the companies of the 27th Battalion were playing a football match in truly Australian fashion, when suddenly a shell fell and burst in the middle of the field.
A glance upwards showed that a British airplane had been fired at by a German anti-aircraft gun, and the shell failing to burst in the air, had fallen on the football grounds to burst on impact. About half a minute later the game was resumed, and soon the ball was gaily floating on the slimy surface of the moat. A few moments hesitation and a cheer betokened the fact that one of the bystanders was stripping for an icy plunge. The ball was recovered and the game lost and won.

On June 17th they moved out and made their way across the frontier into Belgium, where a halt was made at a battered township called Neuve Eglise, that had fallen to the enemy in his first rush in 1914.

During their first night Zeppelins were distinctly heard and faintly seen passing over for a raid on the coast of England.
On the 8th of July they moved out on the first stage of their journey towards the big push on the Somme and marched as far as Steenwerck, where they were billeted over a wide area.
Two days later they move once more and passed through LeVerrier, Outerstein, and Merris, and found quarters between the villages of Strazelle and Fletre.
They then marched through Hazebrouck, Renescure and Mizernes and entrained for Saleux.
They passed some British Regiments on their way back after participating in the hard fighting of the Somme attack. They were laden with trophies from the battlefield and gave William and the 7th Brigade a jaunty greeting as they passed.

By the 26th of July they were bivouacked at the brickfields on the outskirts of Albert and were preparing for the attack which was to be made on the heights above Pozieres.
The attack commenced 2 days later as soon as it was dark and a short preliminary artillery bombardment opening the engagement. Unfortunately, the artillery preparation was insufficient and the advancing troops found the wire entanglements practically intact, while the front was swept by machine gun fire of so intense a nature that, while heroic attempts were made to force a way through, the troops were withdrawn after suffering severe casualties.
As soon as news of the withdrawal reached headquarters they withdrew from the trenches.
Following the failure of the attack they were instructed to make another attack and careful preparations were made to ensure that the artillery fire was effective on the enemy’s wire entanglements, continuous bursts of fire being maintained by day and night, and William and his machine guns being trained on all points to prevent repair work being carried out.

When they were finally relieved they moved to Tara Hill and then to Albert, resting here for one day, after which they marched to Warloy, where they were bivouacked in an orchard.
The Brigade was refitted and reorganized and training was carried out before they marched to Montretlet on the 6th of August.

On the night of October 5-6 the Battalion moved out and entrained for Ypres, and relieved the 19th Australian Battalion, the sector taken over being due south of Zillebeke, and covering the trench system of Hill 60 and Mount Sorrell.
This was our first visit to this part of the long battle line.
On September 3rd they moved on to Harponville and while there were paraded for General Birdwood, who made a presentation of medals.
Their next halt was at Amplier, and from here they marched to Athieule and were entrained for Godewaersvelde.
From this town they marched to Reninghelst, arriving there at dawn on September 6th. Two days later they moved on to Steenvoorde and settled down to regular training once again, special attention being given to tactical exercises in defence and assault.

Whilst here, on the 11th of September William suffered from Influenza and was admitted into the 5th British Red Cross Hospital in Wimereux.
Three days later he embarked from Boulogne on board the St David for England and was admitted into the Military Hospital in Bagthorpe, Nottingham.
He was then also diagnosed with Venereal Disease on the 28th of November and transferred to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital in Bulford.

William was then transferred to the Hillsea Venereal Hospital where he spent Christmas 1916.

Whilst he was here his father died on the 11th of February 1917, back in Australia.

William remained here until he was discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 4th of April 1916 and the 11 days later he was transferred to No.4 Camp in Perham Downs.

William proceeded back to France on the 11th of May and rejoined his Company on the 31st at Senlis.
This very day was the anniversary of William leaving the shores of Australia 2 years earlier and they held cross country sports.

On June 14th they were engaged in a tactical scheme which included the capture of Mesnil and the day was concluded by a swim in the Ancre River close to Aveluy.
They then relieved the 8th Brigade at Bapaume.
On July 3rd an amusing incident happened during the march past their camp of the 3rd English Division, which included several Scotch regiments. A few of the saucy Seventh (7th Brigade), accorded the “Jocks” a vociferous welcome in their rough and ready style, which, however, did not meet with the approval of the column’s leader, who forthwith dispatched a message to their H.Q.s to the effect that he much preferred the dignified military salute.

While they were busily training in open warfare, the Pioneers were engaged in making crosses for the graves of their comrades who fell in the Somme area, and a large cross, which was afterwards erected to the memory of the men of the 7th Brigade at Flers.
On Sunday the 15th of July, a beautiful summer day, they marched from Bapaume to the sacred spot at Flers to erect the cross and pay a last tribute to the memory of their gallant comrades who fell there on November 5th, 1916.
The battlefield, covered with long grass, intermingled with patches of blood-red poppies and blue cornflowers, presented a scene far different from that which greeted that bleak November morning, but despite Nature’s beautiful transformation, the boys present that day lived over again their experiences throughout the battle.
During the service a tiny lark arose nearby and with a beautiful flow of song seemingly strove to silence the ever-reminding rumble of artillery fire, away to the east.

On the 28th they marched from Bapaume to Miraumont (River Ancre) where they entrained for Cassel.
They then moved to Rennescure for tactical training and the enemy made several air raids over St. Omer, the huge bombing planes invariably passing over their camp en route.
On the 12th of September they moved to the Steenvoorde area and onto Westhoek Ridge by the 1st of October and were then heavily involved in the battle from Polygon Wood to Zonnebeke.
They then moved into the rest area near Neuve-Eglise and on the 5th of December William participated in the football game held between his Company and the 27th Battalion before moving back into the front line near the Warneton-Armentieres Railway.

On Christmas Eve they marched out by way of Ploegsteert to Romarin Camp.
The dawn of the New Year, 1918, found them still at Romarin, with the boys in fairly good spirits, but they soon moved back to the front lines at Ploegsteert.
On the 5th of February William was granted 2 weeks leave to England and when he rejoined his Company on the 25th they were in training at Brunembert.

They then moved to Penzance Camp at Neuve-Eglise and on the 17th of March William and the 7th Machine Gun Company were absorbed into the newly formed 2nd Machine Gun Battalion (2nd Division).
It consisted of four machine gun companies, including William’s which had previously existed as independent companies assigned mainly at Brigade level.
The Battalion's authorised strength was 46 officers and 890 other ranks.

The Battalion was equipped with a total of 64 Vickers medium machine guns – assigned at a scale of 16 per company, and took part in the final stages of the war, seeing action during the Allied defensive operations during the German spring offensive and then the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, which finally brought an end to the war.
During these battles, the Battalion was employed to provide enfilade fire in defence, and plunging fire in support of attacking infantry forces, engaging targets out to 3,000 yards (2,700 m). Due to the exposed position from which the machine gunners fired, they suffered heavy casualties.

By the 1st of November they were in training at St. Leger and were here when they received the news of the Armistice on the 11th of November.
By the 1st of December they had moved to Prisches where they were visited by the King and Prince of Wales.
They then moved to Yves-Gomezee where William spent his last Christmas away from his family and friends.

In January 1919 the men of the Battalion slowly started to march out for return to Australia and as William had been overseas since 1915 he marched out to Base in Le Havre on the 24th of January for return to England.
Five days later he embarked for England.

He embarked on the 8th of April 1919 on board HMAT Tras-os-Montes, disembarking in Adelaide on the 20th of May.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 1st of August 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.