William was a son of Thomas and Margaret Stewart of Boggabri NSW and enlisted in July 1915 at Liverpool, giving his age as forty-four when in fact he was forty-eight. He was born at Ashford and worked as a shearer in the district. After joining the 4th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement, he sailed from Australia for Egypt on HMAT A8 Argyllshire in September 1915. At Tel-el-Kabir in February 1916 he was transferred to the 56th Battalion and sent to France. The following year William was detached for two weeks duty with the YMCA in France. During April 1918 he was gassed and invalided to England for treatment in hospital at Chichester. William returned to Australia on the hospital ship Barambah and was medically discharged in December 1918. After the war he married and lived at Somerton NSW. William died in Tamworth in 1946.