Private Wallace Herbert Harold Reynolds (6116) took an extraordinary long time to get to the front line in France. When he enlisted in July 1916, Reynolds declared he was a brick machinist, 27 years of age. He gave his religion as Salvation Army and he nominated his mother, Matilda, of Elsham Road, Lidcombe as his next-of-kin.
Sailing on the Ascanius, Reynolds arrived in Devonport, United Kingdom, on 28 December 1916 but it was not until 10 months later, in October 1917, that Reynolds crossed to France. The first month was spent in the Australian base at Le Havre, then bandsman Reynolds was finally taken on strength of the 28th Battalion on 8 November 1917, a year and four months after he enlisted. Part of the delay was a 38-day VD period spent in Bulford (UK) Hospital in June-July 1917. He survived through the harsh 1917-1918 winter in Belgium and then moved south with his division for the final British advance up the Somme valley. He had two-weeks leave in England at the end of 1918 before returning to France.
It took some time to get more than 160,000 Australian troops home after the end of the war on 11 November 1918. Reynolds arrived in Sydney on the Miltiades on 8 August 1919 and was discharged from the AIF on 30 October 1919. He had been away from Australia for more than three years, with his time on active duty on the battlefield being under a year.