Andrew McLean shares the story of his grandfather, William Fitzpatrick.

William Fitzpatrick enlisted to serve in World War One when he was 23 years old. He went ashore at Gallipoli with the second wave of landings on the morning of 25 April, 2015. When William reached the top of the cliffs he was shot in the right forearm. He said that stray bullets and shrapnel kept sweeping the area. As he lay there, people around him were wounded and killed.

He was evacuated from Gallipoli on HMHS Gascon to Cairo, and returned to Australia on the HMT Hororata. William was discharged as unfit for military services in February, 1916.

After his discharge, William worked for customs inspecting ships. He later became a shop steward at Vickers Ruwolt in Richmond. He was fired from this job as a ‘troublemaker’. William’s troublemaking included a campaign to have doors fitted to the cubicles in the ladies toilets so they could have some privacy. At the time, the toilets did not have doors so that supervisors could check for malingerers.

William married Daisy Scarborough and together they had four children: Mollie, John, Josephine and Geraldine.

In 1971, Bill was 80 years old and living in a nursing home. He gave one of the nurses some cheek and she laughed and gave him some back. He laughed a couple of times and then went silent – which was unusual for him. When the nurse turned back to look at him he had passed away.

Andrew says his grandfather had a long life and an easy death, compared to some of the mates he left behind on Gallipoli. Andrew remembers his grandfather with great affection, as a rather frail man but one with a wonderful, wicked sense of humour.