William enlisted on 9th September 1914. He was 21 years and 6 months old, and was living at 30 West Street, Exeter at the time. He embarked at Southampton on 5th November, then disembarking at Havre the next day, entered the war in France on 6th November 1914. He was posted to No 14 Stationary Hospital for duty on 2nd December 1914, then transferred to the 24th Field Ambulance on 2nd March 1915. William had been feeling unwell for a while and eventually reported sick at Sailly, complaining of a cough and pain in the chest. He remained on duty and was treated by his own unit. The cough persisted though and he was also loosing weight, so he was sent to a casualty cleaning station, and eventually evacuated to No 14 General Hospital in Boulogne on 22nd May 1915, and then back to the UK, via the Hospital Ship “Anglia” on the 24th. He was admitted into the 4th Northern General Hospital, where he was diagnosed as having tuberculosis of lung, and was discharged as being unfit for further war service on 2nd July, the same year.