Herbert Compston Wilson (SN 3983) was born at Liverpool, England but was a 19 year old electric lamp attendant from Howitt Street, Ballarat when he enlisted on July 16th 1915. He trained with the 10th Depot Battalion then departed for overseas service on November 23rd 1915 aboard the Ceramic. Whilst in Egypt he was allotted to the 6th Battalion and in April 1916 he moved to France. For much of 1916 he was troubled by illnesses including tonsillitis and a hernia. His service thereafter was punctuated by several cases of him having been absent without leave. On one occasion he was AWL for five days and subsequently sentenced to 144 hours in detention. In July 1917 he was also charged with ‘drinking on café premises during prohibited hours’.
At the war’s end he returned to Australia on the Derbyshire, reaching Melbourne on April 22nd 1919.
He died on January 9th 1981 in Ballarat at the age of 84.