William Eastlake was born in Stawell and was a Carrier by trade when he enlisted in the 8th Battalion, 20th Reinforcement on 8 May 1916 at the age of 20. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A14 Euripides on 11 September 1916. He reached England in late October and in December he joined the 8th Battalion in France. For much of the first months of 1917 he was troubled by conjunctivitis. He was wounded in action, gassed, on September 23rd 1917 and evacuated to the 2nd London General Hospital suffering from gas poisoning and severe conjunctivitis. It was not until mid-September in 1918 that he was able to return to France, attached to the 1st Machine Gun Battalion. After the war he returned to Australia on the Nestor and disembarked at Melbourne on December 15th 1919.
Tree No 2376