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Chaplain the Rev. J.W. Stevens, who went to the front with the 27th Battalion, writing from France, says he has been transferred to another Battalion. He finds the work strenuous after having been twice invalided to England for sickness. He hopes that when the war is over he will be able to forget a lot of the things he has seen on the battlefield.

The Register Saturday 17 March 1917 page 5

William Johnstone Stevens served in both the South African (Boer) War and WW1. First service was as a Private rising to Corporal S.N. 41, 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry, Boer War. Second service was as a Chaplain Captain, Australian Army Chaplains'/5th Infantry Brigade AIF, WW1.

When he first enlisted in 1899 in the 1st QMI and his details were published with the rank and file in The Brisbane Courier, 18 Nov 1899, he was recorded as Lance-corporal W. J. Stevens, single, care of Barnes & Co, Brisbane. Barnes and Co was a department store chain based in Brisbane with a couple of regional stores.

He served the full tour of the 1st QMI returning to Brisbane where he was discharged on 23 Jan 1901. After returning to Australia, as well as serving as a Presbyterian minister, he continued involvement with the military completing his exams to qualify as a Lieutenant in the Australian Light Horse.

With the outbreak of WW1 he applied for a commission in the Australian Military Forces in 1914. On his Application for a Commission form he noted; he was a Presbyterian Minister of religion; he had previously served with the 1st Q.M.I. in South Africa; he was a British subject born on 1 May 1868 and was a widower; and his N.O.K. was his father-in-law Mr. G. Whalan, Lambert St, Bathurst. He was wounded in action in France in Mar 1917 from a shell blast fracruring his left thigh and after several operations and hospilisations he passed in Nov 1917.

William Johnstone Stevens was born on 1 May 1868 at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is unclear when he emigrated to Australia but was living in Queensland by the late 1890s. In the same year of returning from the Boer War, he married Mary Elizabeth Whalan in 1901 at Bathurst, NSW.

They returned to Queensland by 1903 when the first of their four children was born in, sadly the second and third child (twins) passed at, or shortly after, birth in 1906. Tragically his wife Mary passed in 1911 at Laidley and it appears that William returned to Bathurst where his wife was interred, and to enlist the assitance of his in-laws to help raise his two children while he undertook missionary work in the N.T. When he embarked to serve in WW1 he left the children in the care of his father-in-law, Glyndwr Whalan, at Bathurst. His service records indicate his father-in-law became trustee for his children following his death.

When William passed in 1917 several newspapers reported on the event, including some details of his life prior to embarking, a number of which are transcribed below.

Personal (Wounding of W. J. Stevens, Former Prebyterian Minister In Qld) - The Toowoomba Chronicle, 25 Jun 1917, p. 5.

Mr. R. Dunn has recieved word that Chaplain Captain W. J. Stevens (who for years was a minister of the Presbyterian churches at Esk, Laidley and Forest Hill, and who resigned from mission work in the Northern Territory to serve at the front), has had his left leg smashed by a shell in France, and is in a London Hospital. Chaplain Stevens was for some time in a French hospital. The advice states that under skilful treatment it will not be necessary to amputate his leg. (Chaplain W. J. Stevens is well known on the Downs.- E1. "T. C.")

Personal: Mr. G. Whalan Advised Of Death of Major Chaplain W. J. Stevens- The Bathurst Times, 23 Nov 1917, p. 2.

Mr. G. Whalan has been advised of the death, through illness, of his son-in-law, Major Chaplain W. J. Stevens, 7th Field Co. Engineers, 22nd Battalion, the death taking place on November 15. Major Chaplain Stevens was wounded about nine months ago since when he had two serious illnesses which prevented him from satisfying his desire to return to duty. He was about 40 years of age, a widower, and leaves two little children, a boy and a girl, the latter being with Mr. Whalan, and the boy with Miss Trewren, Kelso.

Personal: Correction Of Account Of Death Of W. J. Stevens -The Bathurst Times, 24 Nov 1917, p. 2.

Mr. G. Whalan writes- "Will you kindly allow me to correct one or two misaccuracies in relation of the death of Chaplain W. J. Stevens, which appeared yesterday. Death was the result of a shell wound (a shattered thigh), recieved in the early part of this year. Prior to that, Mr Stevens had had two illnesses- one reported as serious, the other as dangerous- but had recovered from both of these, and had returned to duty on both occasions. Afterwards he recieved the wound which eventually resulted in his death. In a letter recently recieved from him, he spoke of a seventh operation on his leg, and said the surgeons had decided that he must return to Australia as soon as he was strong enough to travel. But he was still keen on sticking to his work and thought that, after six months rest here, he would be able to at least return to hospital work, if not strong enough to return to the front. However, further operations had to be performed and it is supposed these were too much for him in his weakened condition; and so there passed out one of the bravest and most unselfish soldiers that ever wore the King's uniform. When leaving Australia, Mr. Stevens had the rank of Captain, and was somewhat recently promoted to that of Major."

(source- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, p. 453; National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier; Qld State Archives- Boer War Service Paybooks 1st QMI, Bk 2 p. 100; National Archives Australia- WW1 service record).