William Crowe McMillan was a bricklayer born in Beith, Scotland. He arrived in Adelaide in early 1913 and played two full seasons with the Port Adelaide club before enlisting. Evidently a defender, he was mentioned for conceding a penalty for handball in a Port vs South game in September 1913. In August 1914 he played for an “Imperial Reservists” team in a scratch match against a league XI, but strangely he did not mention any Territorial service on his attestation form when he enlisted in January 1915. He was single and 26 years old, with his mother in Scotland named as next of kin.
McMillan headed for Egypt with the 27th Battalion in June 1915, arriving at Gallipoli in September. He was almost immediately stricken with typhoid and pleurisy, evacuated to hospital and returned to Australia in early 1916. By June 1916 he was back with the 27th Battalion in Egypt and eventually served in France from August 1917 to May 1918 when he was again taken ill. Returned to England, he served at base depots and was given some extended leave. He had been promoted to sergeant by the time the 27th were disbanded on June 19th 1919.
He was returned to Australia and discharged soon afterwards. William McMillan died at the Springbank nursing home in Adelaide in 1958.