William Rolls was born in the Ipswich region, where he played goalkeeper for Dinmore Bush Rats. He later moved to Toowoomba where he worked for the railways as a fireman.
Rolls enlisted in early 1916 and was allocated to the 26th Battalion. His frontline service was contained to a few months across 1917 fighting in France and Belgium. He twice received gunshot wounds to the head during this time, firstly in Lagnicourt, which required a month’s recovery, and later in Zonnebeke which led to his evacuation to England. Rolls never returned to the front, though the reason for his discharge in mid-1918 was given as a deformity of feet. The discharge medical report claimed Rolls had splayed feet which had pre-existed the war, caused him difficulty getting enlisted and been aggravated by active service.
Rolls married Jessie Kemp, but tragedy struck in 1921 when their toddler, John died in an accident. The couple went on to have two more children.
Rolls passed away in 1957 in Toowoomba.