Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Hamilton Fairlie was born in March 1893 to Mr John Fairlie and Mrs Mary Fairlie. He grew up at number 18 Carrington street Adelaide. He was not reported to have any siblings growing up although he did have a cousin on his dad's side, also named William Hamilton Fairlie. William was employed as a platelayer in Adelaide. This occupation required him to work long days maintaining the condition of the railway tracks for the trains. This job required him to spend days out, working hard and lifting very heavy objects. Such a job could suggest that William was a fit and healthy young man, making him a very appealing soldier.
 
He had not had any experience fighting for his country or in the A.I.F so far. At the age of 21, William went into training for the Australian Imperial Force. On the 26th of November 1914, he was officially enlisted into the army from Oaklands South Australia as a part of the 10th Infantry Battalion. William then traveled to Melbourne, where his unit embarked aboard the HMAT A54 Runic. (Pictured). William did not travel with the majority of his battalion who left on the 20th of October 1914, as he was part of the third reinforcement and left on the 19th of February 1915. After arriving in Egypt William trained for a couple of months until he was taken on strength from reinforcements. This meant that William was needed to fight at Gallipoli. William arrived on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 7th of May 1915 and served there for three months. However, on 7th September, William was reported sick and was ordered to be taken care of.
 
The next day William was admitted to having diarrhoea and was sent to Mudros, a small port on the island of Lemnos. In hospital on Lemnos, William was admitted to having dysentery, an infective type of diarrhoea. William was then transported to Alexandria, on the north coast of Egypt. William was then transferred to Heliopolis, a smaller town outside of Cairo. Finally, William was placed in the 4th Auxiliary Hospital in Abassina, Cairo. William was then transferred to Port Said. William was too ill to fight, due to enteric fever and was granted permission to travel back to Australia for three months. On the 13th of December William embarked aboard the H.S Wandilla for Australia.

In October 1916 William was declared fit again for military service but could not be located by the authorties. It was later reported by his mother that William and his father had a fight before William left the house, in consequence, neither parents went to see William off. Whether William really ended up leaving Australia is unknown. Mrs. Mary Fairlie claimed she had had no further communication with William since he left for the departure of Australia. The military also lost contact and location of William when he was confused with his cousin, William Hamilton Fairlie (service number 2173). William's mother, however, was later informed by some returned soldiers that they had seen William in England fit and healthy. However, later the military informed William's mother that they had found contact with William again and that he had been injured in battle. Williams then disappeared for good and was never located again by the army or his family. William's mother then said that if William was to ever communicate with her she would strongly advise that he gives himself up. William didn’t reportedly contact his mother again. However, a letter exists in his service record from 1927, ostensibly from him, giving his address as 29 Elizabeth St, Norwood.