The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On the voyage, due to overcrowding, training was limited to mainly to lectures and a little physical training.

Sleeping & Living Arrangements

Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.

Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.

Daily Routine

Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting). There were parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order. Training was a little problematic—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks. Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.

Meals

Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.

Health & Sanitation

Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease. Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.

The Voyage Experience

Entertainment included church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed. In an attempt to keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium. No letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.

The troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection

CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY

The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

SIGHTS AT SEA

On the way to Egypt the ship would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.

SECURITY

By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships. Troopships generally sailed in convoys or at least took zig-zag courses to make torpedo attacks harder. Ships often travelled under blackout conditions at night, with lookouts specifically watching for periscopes or torpedo wakes.

APPROACHING EGYPT

After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the sandy training grounds of Egypt, preparing for what lay ahead.

EGYPTIAN TRAINING CAMPS

Over many tough months, in the Egyptian training camp, the volunteers left their old lives farther behind. They began an intensive period of training in preparation for deployment to the front. These camps were shared by other Australian and New Zealand forces, creating a large and active training environment.

Daily life followed a strict military routine. Reveille was sounded around 5:30 am, followed by physical training, which included route marches and endurance work in the desert conditions. After breakfast, the men began structured morning sessions focusing on drill, bayonet practice, and rifle handling. Training resumed after lunch, often with practical field exercises such as digging trenches, constructing defences, and simulating attacks on mock enemy positions. The day ended with roll call, personal time, and lights out around 9:00 pm.

The training itself covered a wide range of military skills. Soldiers learned close-order drill, musketry (rifle shooting), bayonet fighting, and basic tactics. Musketry was particularly important: the men practised with their Lee-Enfield rifles on firing ranges, learning how to load, aim, fire rapidly, and judge distances accurately. Bayonet training was also emphasized, with troops practising thrusts, parries, and charges on straw-filled dummies to build aggression and confidence.

Physical fitness was a high priority. Route marches of 10 to 15 kilometres in full kit were a regular part of the schedule to build stamina and discipline. Troops also received instruction in field engineering—learning how to dig trenches, build parapets and revetments, and position barbed wire obstacles effectively.

Other important areas of training included basic first aid, battlefield communication (such as flag and lamp signalling), and map reading.

Sanitation and hygiene were stressed throughout the training period. Soldiers were taught how to prevent disease by maintaining clean clothing and equipment, constructing latrines, and purifying drinking water. This was crucial in the Egyptian climate, where illness could spread rapidly.

Although the training was demanding, there were occasional opportunities for leave. Many soldiers visited the bazaars, cafés, and sights of Cairo, or made trips to the pyramids near Mena. Morale was generally high, though the men understood active service was approaching.

Training would be for eight hours a day six days a week. All day long, in every valley of the Sahara for miles around the Pyramids of Giza were groups or lines of men advancing, retiring, drilling or squatted near their piled arms listening to their officer. For many of the battalions many miles of desert had to be covered in the morning and evening to and from their allotted training areas. At first, to harden the troops, they wore full kit with heavy packs. Their backs became drenched with perspiration, and the bitter desert wind blew on them as they camped for their midday meal and many deaths from pneumonia were attributed to this cause.

THE WESTERN FRONT

On 21st March 1916 William embarked the Oriana at Alexandria heading for France and the Western Front warfare.

ETAPLES TRAINING CAMP

After disembarking in France on 27 March 1916, William was not sent straight into the trenches. Like all new reinforcements, he first marched into the Australian Infantry Base Depot at Étaples, a sprawling camp on the Channel coast. Here men were toughened up with long days of drill and instruction in the “Bullring,” as the training ground was known. Gas drill, bayonet fighting, bombing practice and musketry were part of the daily routine, designed to sharpen the skills of men who would soon be facing the realities of the Western Front. Life at Étaples was strict and the pace relentless, but it gave the men a final preparation before being trusted at the front.

After several weeks of this hard training, William was drafted forward from the depot. He entrained and moved closer to the front lines, joining a reinforcement camp behind the Australian sector, waiting until his battalion was ready to receive new men. By this time the 25th Battalion was pushing across the broken countryside left behind by the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. The battalion was consolidating positions and preparing for the great test that was to come at Bullecourt.

TAKEN ON STRENGTH APRIL 1916

On 23 April 1916, William was formally taken on strength of the 25th Battalion, stepping into the ranks of men who had already endured some of the hardest fighting of the war. He had completed his time of waiting, and the reality of battle was now only days away.

The soldiers now found themselves fighting the Germans in trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was harsh, stagnant, and extremely dangerous. Not only were trenches constantly under threat of attack from shells or other weapons, but there were also many health risks that developed into large-scale problems for medical personnel. Apart from the inescapable cold during the winters in France & Belgium, trenches were often completely waterlogged and muddy, and crawling with lice and rats

The time soldiers spent in the trenches varied depending on factors like their army's rotation system and the intensity of the conflict in their sector. On average:

·      Front-line trenches: Soldiers typically remained here for about 4–6 days at a time. This was where the fighting was most intense and the conditions were the harshest.

·      Support and reserve trenches: After time on the front line, soldiers were rotated to these positions for around 6–12 days. These trenches were set further back and offered slightly better conditions.

·      Rest periods: Soldiers were then moved away from the trench system entirely for rest, training, and recovery, often lasting several weeks, depending on operational needs.

The rotation system helped prevent complete physical and mental exhaustion, but the constant dangers of trench life meant there was rarely any true respite.

HOSPITALISATION APRIL 1916

Only days after joining his battalion, William’s service was interrupted by illness. On 29 April 1916 he was admitted to the 6th Australian Field Ambulance, suffering from orchitis, a painful swelling of the testicles which was a known complication of mumps. The following day he was transferred to the 1st Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, where doctors diagnosed him with mumps and placed him in isolation to prevent the highly contagious disease spreading through the camp.

Mumps was a common childhood illness, but among soldiers crowded together in tents, dugouts, and huts, it often spread rapidly. The main symptoms included fever, headache, and the distinctive swelling of the salivary glands at the side of the face, giving the cheeks a swollen look. In adult men it could cause orchitis, which was not only extremely painful but, in some cases, could threaten fertility. There was no cure beyond rest, good nutrition, and careful nursing to relieve the symptoms.

On 1 May William was moved further back to the 7th General Hospital, where he remained under observation and treatment for three weeks. Strict isolation was maintained until the contagious stage passed, and patients were kept warm, given soft foods, and monitored for complications.

REJOINED UNIT MAY 1916

By 21 May 1916 he had recovered sufficiently to be discharged and returned to duty.

ARMENTIERES

When William was discharged from hospital on 21 May 1916, he rejoined the 25th Battalion in France. The battalion was then holding the line near Armentières, a so-called “nursery sector” where newly arrived Australian units were introduced to trench warfare. Life here was far from quiet — the trenches were muddy, crowded and infested with lice and rats, and the men were exposed to constant shelling and the danger of enemy snipers. William spent his days on sentry duty, repairing trench walls, laying barbed wire at night, and enduring the unrelenting discomfort of front-line life.

THE SOMME JULY 1916

By July the battalion was on the move south to the Somme, where the great British offensive had begun. The 25th Battalion was committed to the fighting at Pozières, one of the bloodiest battles the Australians faced. From 23 to 25 July, and again in early August, the men attacked and held shattered positions under some of the heaviest artillery barrages of the war. Casualties were severe, the ground churned into a landscape of shell craters and broken bodies, but William survived the ordeal.

REST & REORGANISE AUGUST 1916

DISCIPLINED

After Pozières the battalion was pulled back to rest and reorganise. It was during this period, on 15 August 1916, that William ran afoul of battalion orders. While on the line of march he was caught smoking — a seemingly minor offence, but strictly forbidden for reasons of discipline and safety. For this neglect to obey an order he was sentenced to seven days of Field Punishment No. 2. The punishment meant being placed in irons for certain periods of the day, though not tied to a fixed object as in Field Punishment No. 1, and was usually combined with fatigues and drills. It was an uncomfortable reminder of the strict discipline expected of soldiers in the field

LATE SUMMER AND AUTUMN 1916

After his punishment in August 1916, William remained with the 25th Battalion as it rebuilt after the terrible losses at Pozières. Through the late summer and autumn, the battalion rotated between front-line duty, support trenches, and periods of rest and training behind the lines. It was a time of constant work, repairing trenches, carrying supplies, and preparing for further operations in the Somme region.

APPOINTED TEMPORARY CORPORAL NOVEMBER 1916

On 14 November 1916 William was appointed to be a temporary Corporal, filling in for another non-commissioned officer who had been evacuated sick or wounded. This was a recognition of his reliability, and it placed him in a position of responsibility for the men in his section. By winter the battalion faced freezing weather, knee-deep mud, and the ever-present strain of enemy shelling, but William carried on with his duties as the Australians endured their first full winter on the Western Front.

MONTAUBAN, BAZENTIN-LE-PETIT AND FLERS JANUARY 1917

In January 1917 the 25th Battalion was still holding the Somme front, in the devastated area around Montauban, Bazentin-le-Petit and Flers. The line here was little more than waterlogged shell holes linked by muddy communication trenches, and the men endured constant patrols, artillery fire, and the bitter cold.

MISSING IN ACTION JANUARY 1917

On 27 January 1917, during one of these periods in the front line, William was reported missing in action. This meant that, during a battle or period of heavy fighting, he could not be accounted for — he had not returned to the lines, and no definite word of his fate could be found. In the chaos of trench warfare, many men disappeared in this way, either killed and buried where they fell, lost in shellfire, or taken prisoner. For families at home, “missing” was a particularly cruel uncertainty, leaving them to hope for news that often never came.

COURT OF ENQUIRY JULY 1917- KILLED IN ACTION

Months later, after no further information was received, a Court of Enquiry was convened on 25 July 1917. These courts were held by officers of the battalion to examine all available evidence — statements from men who had seen him last, casualty reports, and battlefield records. When it became clear that William had not been taken prisoner and had not rejoined his unit, the court declared that he had been killed in action on 27 January 1917. This formal decision allowed the Army to record his death officially, and his family finally received the news they had dreaded since the first telegram reporting him missing.

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service William was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Murwillumbah War Memorial

His name is recorded on the Roll of Honour  in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial Number 105 among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

His parents received a pension of 2pound a fortnight from 13th February 1918

His father received his Memorial Scroll on 27^th December 1921 & his Victory Medal on 14^th February 1923

PLACE OF BURIAL

No known grave

COMMEMORATION DETAILS

Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France

Villers-Bretonneux is a village about 15 km east of Amiens. The Memorial stands on the high ground ('Hill 104') behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, which is about 2 km north of Villers-Bretonneux on the east side of the road to Fouilloy.

The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is approached through the Military Cemetery, at the end of which is an open grass lawn which leads into a three-sided court. The two pavilions on the left and right are linked by the north and south walls to the back (east) wall, from which rises the focal point of the Memorial, a 105 foot tall tower, of fine ashlar. A staircase leads to an observation platform, 64 feet above the ground, from which further staircases lead to an observation room. This room contains a circular stone tablet with bronze pointers indicating the Somme villages whose names have become synonymous with battles of the Great War; other battle fields in France and Belgium in which Australians fought; and far beyond, Gallipoli and Canberra.

On the three walls, which are faced with Portland stone, are the names of 10,885 Australians who were killed in France and who have no known grave. The 'blocking course' above them bears the names of the Australian Battle Honours.