Bill enlisted in Sydney, although he hailed from the remote and little known valley in the Snowy Mountains called Lobbs Hole or Ravine.

In fact, it appears that he was the only one who did enlist from there, though quite a number did enlist from nearby and betterknown Kiandra.

At 38 years old, he was a fit, five-feet 10.5 inches tall, blue eyed and weighed 170 pounds.

Bill was issued with a number (N85051), a fine uniform with new boots, hats, great coat, cardigan, towels, underwear and an assortment of other items valued at the then princely sum of seven pound six shillings and sixpence.

In today’s value this is at least $1000 and possibly much more.

At this stage it should be appreciated that Bill was a copper miner at Lobbs Hole, and living with and supporting his widowed mother Rose.

His father, Richard (65), had died in 1901 while gold mining at Meragle (Snowy Mountains) when an earth fall had brought his leg down onto a mining fork.

The leg never fully healed, despite a transfer to the Tumut and Wagga hospitals, and in the end the wound was fatal.

In the first week, army records state that Bill “seems keen and willing”.

In the second week he is recorded as “making fair progress”.

At this stage there had been no weapon firing recorded.

On December 29 Bill was fined two shillings and sixpence for being “drunk and dirty”.

After the third week, and being issued with a short leave pass, Bill was gone, never to be seen again.

A warrant was issued for his apprehension, but he couldn’t be found.

On January 7, 1918 a letter was written by one of his unit officers to an address at Gisborne Street in Wellington with no response.

This may have been the home of one of his sisters’ addresses.

A younger Bill Cook (aged 17, and it appears he was the same person) had been arrested at nearby Tumbarumba for stealing sugar worth two pounds in 1896.

He turned “Queen’s evidence” on another man seeking to shoot a neighbour’s horses, and was released with a one pound fine and two pounds to pay for the sugar.

So what eventually happened to Bill Cook?

My guess is he headed for the hills and back to remote Lobbs Hole, complete with a government sponsored set of clothes, underwear, towels and boots to keep him snug and cosy for many years to come.

The warrant for Bill’s arrest was withdrawn on January 30, 1919.

Lucky boy.

Bill’s widowed mother Rose was born Rosina McNally at Cooma in 1847 and married Richard Cook at Cooma in 1866.

They had 11 children, of whom Bill was the seventh. 

She died at Tumut in 1929.

There was a William Cook who died at Liverpool, outside Sydney, in 1947.

Perhaps this was also our elusive Bill after all those years. 

He would have been 68 years old.

For him, World War I had been a very short war.

This short story is based on William Cook’s 32 page World War I army file at the National Archives of Australia as well as various newspaper articles held by the National Library in Canberra; in addition, the New South Wales Births Deaths and Marriages indexes, Sydney.