William Young (veteran)
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William 'Will' Young (born January 4, 1900) is one of the last surviving veterans of the First World War, and one of three remaining British veterans who emigrated to Australia.
Young joined up under a scheme set up by Lord Derby whereby people of less than 18 could join up under the condition that when they reached 18, they could go into the army or into the air force. He chose to join up on his 18th birthday into the Royal Flying Corps, wireless section, as he wasn't keen on joining the infantry due to the casualty rate being so high. William was asssigned to an artillery brigade in France. His job was to take the messages sent via morse code from the observation planes, and pass the location of the target onto the artillery officers.
During the Second World War, Young was sent to Borneo as the manager of a tanning extract company. When the Japanese took Borneo, Young was put in an internment camp in Sandakan, and then Kuching in Sarawak, where he stayed until the end of the war.
After World War II, Young emigrated to Australia, where he still lives, aged 107. Upon the death of William Roberts on April 30, 2006, Young became the last surviving member of the Royal Flying Corps before it joined with the RNAS to become the RAF.
