William Willis (SN 6372) was born at Northampton in England but was a 44 year old canvasser in Ballarat East when he enlisted on October 4th 1915. He trained at Broadmeadows before embarking as a reinforcement for the 14th Battalion, on the Port Sydney, on September 7th 1916. He was destined not to reach the battle front in France because on arrival in England, in late October, he was admitted to the Devonport Military Hospital suffering from pleurisy. He was assessed as unfit for active service and in February 1917 he left England to return to Australia on the Ulysses, disembarking at Melbourne on April 2nd. He was subsequently discharged as ‘medically unfit’ on May 19th 1917. He died at Ballarat on June 16th 1933 aged 65.