Joseph Sampson (SN 4585) was born in Ballarat East where he attended Queen Street State School. He enlisted on July 22nd 1915 as a single, 21 year old bootmaker. He joined the 8th Infantry Battalion and embarked from Melbourne the following January on board the Themistocles. He was admitted to hospital several times with fevers and tonsillitis while training in Egypt before being transferred to France with the 58th Battalion in June 1916. Detached for duty as a batman with the 5th Divisional School of Instruction in January 1917, he was again admitted to hospital, this time with mumps, before again being detached for duty, this time with the 1st Anzac Corps School. He rejoined his unit in April 1918 but was evacuated to England in August with an abscess on his heel.

After the Armistice, while waiting for transport back to Australia, he was again taken ill and died of pneumonia in hospital in the UK on February 6th 1919.