William John Morrison came into the world on 7 August 1869 in the fishing village of Rosehearty, on Scotland’s north-east coast. He was the elder of two sons born to William Morrison and Jessie Davidson, a steady, hard-working Aberdeenshire family rooted in the parishes around Pitsligo.

His only sibling, Alexander, was born in 1871 but sadly died as a teenager, leaving William as the couple’s sole surviving child. As a young man William learned the trade that would shape the rest of his life, mechanical engineering. By 1901 he was living with his parents in Heathfield, working for himself and evidently successful enough to stand on his own two feet.

On 7 April 1904, he married Florence Edith Hope Roads at Eastbourne, and together they moved from Sussex to the other side of the world. They originally settled at Pyramid Hill in North West Victoria, before making their home in St Kilda, Melbourne. William and Florence had two daughters Kate Edith Hope (1906–1993) and Alison Beatrice (1912–1962). When war came, William was already in his mid-forties, living with Florence and the children at 7 Alma Road, St Kilda, and working as a mechanical engineer.

William enlisted on 31 March 1915 in Melbourne, recording his age as 43, although his birth records show he was actually 45, a small adjustment that was common among older volunteers determined to serve. William was first assigned to 22nd Battalion, sailing for Egypt on HMAT A38 Ulysses on 10 May 1915.

After embarking with the 22nd Battalion in May 1915, William arrived in Egypt with the later reinforcements during the height of the Dardanelles campaign. The battalion trained around the camps at Heliopolis and Maadi, preparing men for the fighting on the peninsula. On 3 September 1915, William was taken on strength of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (M.E.F.), the notation used in AIF records for men sent to Gallipoli. William reached Gallipoli with the 22nd Battalion on 5 September 1915, landing at Anzac Cove with the 6th Brigade.

The battalion moved straight into the front line, taking over positions opposite Johnston’s Jolly and linking with the defences around Lone Pine. For the next three months, the 22nd held these trenches in a largely defensive role while the campaign stalled and winter approached.

Conditions on the peninsula were harsh. The men faced constant threats from shelling, sniping, mining activity, poor sanitation, flies, heat, and later freezing cold. Water was scarce, rations were limited, and sickness was widespread. William’s service record notes that he was admitted to the 5th Field Ambulance on 29 October 1915, suffering from asphyxia, most likely caused by fumes or smoke in the trenches. He returned to duty the next day. Through September to December the battalion endured routine trench duty, with occasional mining activity and sniping but no major offensives.

As the decision was made to evacuate the peninsula, the 22nd Battalion took part in the final withdrawal on 19–20 December 1915, leaving the lines under carefully controlled silence with only a handful of men and the self- firing rifles remaining to disguise the departure.

William returned to Egypt with the rest of the division. Early the following year he transferred from the infantry to the 8th Field Company Engineers, where his experience as a mechanical engineer was of direct value. He remained with the company through its reorganisation and movement to France in June 1916, arriving at Marseilles on 25 June.

In early July 1916 the 8th Field Company Engineers moved into the Fleurbaix sector as preparations intensified for what would become the Battle of Fromelles. The company arrived near GRIS-POT on 9 July, taking over billets vacated by the 2nd Field Company Engineers. Their work began immediately, repairing roads, strengthening parapets and approaches, and carrying out continual trench improvement across the lines around Fleurbaix and Erquinghem-Lys. On 10 July they bivouacked on Bac St Maur before settling into Erquinghem for the build-up to the coming attack. Working parties were pushed forward daily, consolidating positions under intermittent fire.

By 12 July Captain Langoulant had taken charge of the Royal Engineers Stores at Erquinghem, and the Australians assumed new responsibilities as they handed some sectors to the New Zealand Engineers. Between 15 and 16 July the tempo increased. The company shifted billets, repaired trenches under fire, and helped construct new passages between the British and German lines across No Man’s Land. By 16 July they were moving towards the Peluets area behind Fleurbaix, digging fresh trenches and improving communications for the impending assault.

On 17 and 18 July they worked long hours, constructing officers’ and signal dugouts, and preparing the firing line. By the morning of 19 July, the company moved into the assembly trenches behind the 22nd Battalion headquarters, ready to go forward with the infantry. William’s section was one of those detailed for the most demanding task of the night, digging the communication trench across No Man’s Land once the attack began. Other parties were assigned to carry engineer stores to the 8th Brigade, and consolidate whatever ground the infantry managed to hold. The engineers stood ready to move the moment the line went forward.

Source - AWM4 14/27/11 – 8th Field Company Engineers War Diary, July 1916

On 18 July 1916, the 8th Field Company Engineers were working at full stretch preparing the front for the coming operation- in readiness for the infantry assault planned for the evening of the 19th. The company was in constant motion for more than a week. William’s section was assigned one of the most demanding tasks: preparing and extending communication trenches forward from the firing line. These trenches would later be used to move men, ammunition, and tools during the attack. The work brought the engineers close to the forward positions and exposed them to enemy observation and artillery.

According to the 8th Field Company Engineers War Diary, it was during this work on 18 July, while engaged in improvements to a communication trench, that William was killed. His wife Florence later recorded the circumstances on his Roll of Honour Circular, stating:

Although William did not live to see the assault begin, the work carried out by the 8th Field Company Engineers on the days leading up to 19 July 1916 was a vital part of the preparations for the attack. On 19 July, working parties from the 30th Battalion were placed under the direction of the 8th Field Company Engineers. A Company was detailed to dig a firing line across No Man’s Land, B Company to carry engineer stores to the firing line and across to the German trenches, C Company was held in reserve, and D Company was detailed to dig a communication trench across No Man’s Land.

The 8th Field Company Engineers recorded several casualties during these preparations, including William, listed among the men killed during the final phase of work on 18–19 July.

News of William’s death reached St Kilda through the Reverend H. J. Nance, prompting Florence to write immediately to Base Records on 25 August 1916, asking for confirmation and any available detail. At this time Kate was 10 and Alison 4. They had recently changed address, and Florence’s concern was simply to understand what had happened. More information followed gradually. On 24 November 1916, Florence received notice that William had been buried at Eaton Hall Cemetery, Croix Blanche, with Reverend George Cranston recorded as the officiating chaplain.

Still seeking clarity, Florence wrote again on 7 December 1916, enclosing a stamped envelope and asking how she might obtain a map showing the exact location of her husband’s grave. William’s Field Service Report recorded his death formally as “Killed in action — In the field — 18/7/16.”

His personal effects were eventually sent home to Florence.

In 1925, the Imperial War Graves Commission notified Florence that renumbering had occurred during the standardisation of Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery. William’s grave now appeared as Plot I, Row K, Grave 86, though they reassured her that “the actual place of burial remains unchanged.” In St Kilda, Florence raised their daughters, Hope and Alison, carrying the memory of a husband who volunteered despite being well above the usual age of enlistment. The notices placed in Melbourne newspapers reflected both family pride and the quiet grief of his loss.

William is buried at Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, and is commemorated on Panel 24 at the Australian War Memorial.