William appears in the city records of June 10, 1915, when he was "suspended by Acting Chief Condon for being under the influence of liquor while on duty and was suspended by the Chief for 6 days."
Succumbing to the social pressures of the time, he subsequently enlisted and went overseas with the 219th Battalion. He was seriously wounded in action, as reported by his mother Sophia to the Evening Mail newspaper on June 27, 1917. The family lived on Maynard Street at the time.