Veteran Story: William 'Billy' Nicholls [aka Nichols and Nichold] was born in Coen, Cape York Peninsula. He was removed to the Yarrabah Aboriginal Mission, where he married Flora Ball in 1913. Nicholls enlisted in Cairns under the name of Nicholld, for reasons unknown, and by that time had three young children Esther, Michael and William. He was employed by Charles Vesey Hives as a labourer on his sugar cane farm at Kamma, prior to volunteering. After initial training at Rifle Range Camp, at Enoggera, he was assigned to 20th Reinforcements for the 11th Light Horse Regiment, which later became known as the 'Queensland Black Watch' as all but three of the unit were of Aboriginal heritage. Nicholls joined the Regiment when they were operating near Jericho in May 1918. Later that year Nicholls was hospitalised with bronchitis and spent several months recuperating before rejoining the regiment; where he was assigned to canteen guard at the Light Horse Camp in Cairo. Nicholls returned to his family in North Queensland in August 1919, later gaining employment with the Cairns City Council. He died in May 1948 aged 59 and is buried in the Martyn Street Cemetery, Cairns, leaving his wife Flora, two daughters and four sons.
