William Herbert Brenton Stephens was born in Melbourne and was a Carrier in Ballarat when he enlisted in the 39th Battalion, A Company on 14 February 1916 at the age of 25. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 27 May 1916. He sailed first to England then in November he crossed to France with the 39th Battalion. He was fortunate in avoiding serious injury or illness and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. It was noted however that he was experiencing hearing difficulty by the end of the war. He returned to Australia on the Ulysses and disembarked at Melbourne on March 10th 1919.
Tree No. 2123