William John Cocks (SN 7892) was born in Chewton, near Castlemaine, Victoria, where he was working as a miner when he enlisted in Melbourne on June 19th 1916. Posted to the 7/2nd Pioneers Reinforcements, he was "struck off strength" as a deserter in December 1916. Several warrants for his arrest were issued and withdrawn over the next year before the now 23 year old finally embarked from Melbourne with the Tunnelling Companies Reinforcements in November 1917 on board the Nestor. His overseas service got off to a similarly rocky start when he was court-martialled after being absent without leave for over a month, forfeiting a total of 103 days pay. At the end of April 1918, he was posted to France with the 3rd Tunnelling Company but spent much of the next month in hospital with pleurisy before returning to England following a diagnosis of tuberculosis. He returned to Australia aboard the Medic, disembarking at Melbourne in October, and was discharged, medically unfit, on October 26th 1918.