Stephen John Paine (SN 943) was born in Ballarat and was a 19 year old barman when he enlisted on August 20th 1914. His service did not start well, and he went absent without leave in December and was charged with desertion resulting in a penalty of 21 days Field Punishment No. 2 without pay. Assigned as a gunner with the 1st Australian Artillery Brigade he embarked on the Shropshire on October 21st. He served at Gallipoli until September when dysentery forced his evacuation to hospital at Lemnos then Cairo. In March 1916 he was deployed to France to serve with the 101st Howitzer Battery. His service was interrupted by periods of illness, but he avoided battle wounds. In the later months of the war, he was awarded ‘1914 leave’ and was able to return to Australia aboard the Borda disembarking at Adelaide on December 15th 1918. He was discharged on August 14th 1919 as medically unfit.