William Richard Saillard

Service number: 4527

Rank: Private

Unit: 20th Battalion

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Source: National Archives of Australia

William Saillard was born at Manly in 1897 and was a milk carter. He enlisted on 9 August 1915 giving his mother at Pittwater Road, Manly as next of kin.

He embarked on 9 April 1916 and served with the 20th Battalion in France. He was absent without leave in March 1918 and given sixty days field punishment no 2. He then became an illegal absentee from 6 April 1918 to 21 November 1918. When arrested he was in the uniform of an American soldier. He was court-martialled and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. He was imprisoned at Wormwood Scrubs and Exeter Prison before being returned to Australia on the Port Melbourneon 5 July 1919 and discharged from service on 26 October 1919.

He later lived at Balgowlah. He was imprisoned for indecent behaviour and sentenced to three months’ hard labour in January 1928. Alderman Reid gave him a good conduct reference in court [1]. He was described as 29 years old in January 1928, meaning he was probably born in 1898.

[1] Truth, 22 January 1928, p22.