William Kihang (SN 1258A) was born in Ballarat and was a single 25 year old upholsterer at the time of his enlistment in Traralgon on October 24th 1914. Initially assigned to the 8th Battalion, his unit embarked from Melbourne on board Clan Macgillivray the following February. It is unclear from his record where he spent the first 12 months of the war but he celebrated his arrival in Alexandria in January 1916 by going AWL, probably with his brother Herbert, before being transferred to the 60th Battalion in February. In May, he was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion with which he was posted to France. He spent three months in hospital in England towards the end of 1917, suffering from rheumatism and myalgia. In August 1918 he was wounded in action, suffering a gunshot wound to his right elbow. This was to be the end of his active involvement in the war and he returned to Australia in December on board the Burmah. He disembarked in Melbourne in January 1919 and was discharged from the AIF on March 30th 1919.

His brothers Ernest and Herbert also served in the AIF.