William George Pittard was born in Ballarat and was a Butcher by trade when he enlisted in the May 1916 Reinforcements on 26 July 1915 at the age of 18. Previous military experience included the 30th Australian Army Medical Corps. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A26 Armadale on 19 July 1916. On April 14th 1917, while attached to the 59th Battalion, he was reported wounded in action but that report was subsequently changed to æaccidentally injured'. He had received a gunshot wound to the buttock but an enquiry into the incident found that he was not to blame. He was evacuated to the Buscombe Military Hospital in London, and then served out the remainder of the war in England attached to the No.14 Dental Unit. On October 29th, just two weeks before the signing of the Armistice, he married 21 year old Mildred Moore at the Registry Office at Brentford, Middlesex. He departed England on the Ceramic in August 1919 for return to Australia, disembarking at Melbourne on September 27th.
Tree No. 2272