William John Burris was born in 1892 in St Briavels. His father, also William, worked as a wagoner with horses on a farm. On leaving school, he obtained work as a collier.
He had a minor brush with the law in 1913, at the age of 20. On 8 July 1913, he was sentenced to 14 days in prison for stealing two pieces of timber.
Burris signed up for the 3rd South Wales Borderers Special Reserve 24th Battalion on 6 May 1914 in Newport. At the time, he claimed to be 18 years old, but his age was probably 22. He was only 5 ft 3 ins in height and weighed just 7 stone. He was sent for training to Brecon, but almost immediately ran into conflict with the military authorities.
| Location | Date | Offence | Punishment | Date |
| Brecon | 15 May | Nor complying with an order and drunk | Admonished | 18 May |
| Brecon | 2 July | Absent from parade | 3 days confined to barracks | 3 July |
| Brecon | 9 July | Neglecting to obey an order | 4 days confined to barracks. | 9 July |
| Brecon | 10 July | Neglecting to obey an order | 7 days confined to barracks. | 11 July |
| Brecon | 11 July | Breaking out of barracks. Apprehended by civil police in Newport on 13 July. Loss of kit | 96 hours detention and required to pay for the kit. Forfeit 3 days’ pay, | 17 July |
| Brecon | 18 July | Stubbornness at drill whilst under detention. Improper conduct. Threw his equipment at a wall | 48 hours on a punishment diet | 18 July |
| Brecon | 26 August | Shirking his work while on fatigue | 4 days confined to a cell.
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28 August |
Burris was mobilised on 8 August 1914. He deserted on 17 October 1914. His army records appear to end here, so it is unclear what he did next.
However, a William John Burris, the son of William Burris, a farm labourer, married Ellen Reeson on 5 November 1918 in Wimbledon. He is listed as a soldier based at Bramshott military camp in Hampshire. The couple had a daughter born in 1920. The family subsequently migrated to British Columbia in 1920, where they had five sons and where he worked as a general labourer doing odd jobs. Ellen died in 1942. Burris married again to Catherine Ritoul in 1951 and had two more sons. He died in 1962.