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William was the eldest of 6 children born to Isabella and Michael Anderson and although their arrival in WA with three of their younger children (20 Dec1887 on board the “Elderslie”) was documented it is unclear exactly when William came to be in Perth.

We do know that in 1888 he married Annie Griffin in Fremantle. Annie was the 6th of 8 children born to Anne and Owen Griffin who arrived in the colony as an Enrolled Pensioner Guard on the convict ship “Dudbrook” on 7th February, 1853.

William and Annie along with their 6 children came to reside in King Edward Road, Osborne Park. William, like his father, was employed in the printing industry as a news proofreader. In 1881/82 he was the editor and publisher of Fremantle journal called “The Liberty”. This was to be a short lived venture, ending in a well publicised horsewhipping by the unhappy husband of a woman mentioned in one of his articles and finally bankruptcy.

News reports of the day also noted William’s arrest, his subsequent release and a published apology for it turns out there was a mistake in arresting him in the first place. William and Annie moved to Esperance where William was the editor for some time of the “Esperance Chronicle”.
In 1897 he appears to have fallen foul of the “demon drink” and in company of two others broke into a local store stealing cigars and liquor. He was sentenced to 12 months in Fremantle Goal where it is likely one of the warders was his father-in-law, Owen Griffin.

Over the next 10 years or so there are numerous confusing news reports of a William Anderson escaping and being re-captured, using several aliases and committing crimes. At this time in Perth there were many William Andersons’ and even the news articles lack consistency failing to clearly identify one from another. Cross-referencing post-office records, electoral roles, and children’s birth dates does make it unlikely that this William could have been responsible for most if not all the subsequent crime spree and internments across Perth, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie through to 1925!

When the First World War began the outbreak was greeted in Australia, as in many other places, with great enthusiasm. Boys and men eagerly enlisted to do their bit and it was against this backdrop the first of Williams sons, Sydney James Anderson, enlisted on 7 July 1915 having, 3 months earlier, celebrated his 20th birthday. He joined the Army Medical Corps, 1st Field Ambulance as a Private where he served in France and Belgium.

Barely, 2 weeks later another son, Percy Michael Anderson enlisted. Then on the 11 September of 1915, prior to be shipped out, he married Sophia Alice Bonness. Percy deployed with 32 Battalion, D Company.

At a “send off” held at the Osborne Park Agricultural Hall on the 13th September 1915 there were 80 local “soldier boys” from the community going into Black Boy Hill camp the next day. William’s sons would be joining a further six members of the extended family already at the front.

By Jan 1916, at 45 years old, William who had served with the West Australian Volunteer Force had enlisted with the AIF. By March he had embarked from Fremantle on board HMAT Shropshire bound for England as part of reinforcement forces. For the duration of his active service William was stationed at the No 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital (AAH) at Harefield Park in Middlesex.

In the July 20 1916 Battle of Fromelles Percy Anderson was initially reported wounded, then Missing In Action until finally in 1917 following a Red Cross enquiry he was declared Killed in Action.

On 9 October 1916 another son Alfred William Anderson became the fourth member of the Anderson male household to enlist. Like his father he too was involved in the printing industry as a proofreader. He joined the 44th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement which left Fremantle on 29th January 1917 on board HMAT “Miltiades”.

There is a letter in Percy’s Red Cross Enquiry folder handwritten by William from Harefield Park in which he pleads for any information to be able to send home. He goes on to say he has 2 other sons in the field, and they like him are anxious to hear about their brother. On a visit to the Australian War Memorial, I held that letter in my hand. It was an emotional and unnerving experience. The abject sense of his grief at not knowing remains palpable over the years.

In his time at Harefield Park William wrote “stories” about any local boys who came into his care. The stories appeared under his byline or that of his pen name “Old Bill” and were published by the Sunday Times.

On his return to Perth after the war “Old Bill” maintained his frequent contributions to various journals including the Western Mail, Sunday Times and Listening Post. He was also recognized as a stalwart of the Osborne Park RSL and was a major contributor to a column in the Western Mail called “A Diggers Diary”.

Through the late 1930’s William worked tirelessly as the Press representative for the Wanneroo Road Board being recognised for the publicity in the “West Australian” resulting in thousands of visitors to the district.

His vale in the Listening Post described him as a “journalist of the older school of letters, who aimed at literary excellence in heir work, he had a keen sense of news values and a pleasing sense of humour as well.”

“His wide experience of men and places served him in good stead as a Press man and his extraordinary retentive memory helped to make him a rich mine of historical information, especially about the Osborne Park district, in which he resided for almost an average man's lifetime. The late Bill Anderson has established a splendid record of public service, both in the League and outside it He was a foundation member of the Osborne Park sub-branch and was able to watch the sub-branch grow with the district.

For many years before the end came, he was a victim of war-caused ill-health, which necessitated long spells in hospital. However, he remained cheerful to the end and, until quite recently, he was forwarding contributions to this paper. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and we join with the Osborne Park sub-branch in offering his relatives and friends the assurance that their grief is also our own.

He was, in every sense of the phrase, a grand old soldier.”