Family Search: When Lieutenant William Kenneth Fallis Rooney was born on 9 July 1893, in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, his father, George Rooney, was 28 and his mother, Harriet Priscilla Porteous, was 26. He married Eleanor Maude Mathias on 22 January 1918, in Roath, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 1 son. He immigrated to Canada in 1913. He registered for military service in 1914. In 1936, at the age of 43, his occupation is listed as ashphalt plant manager, imperial oil in Sarnia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada. He died on 28 November 1936, in Sarnia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 43, and was buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada.
Note that this soldier is NOT listed at the LAC under this Regimental Number. See link for attestation paper location.
According to “Duty Nobly Done” Rooney, a Sergeant in June 1916, was on guard duty and saw an outgoing 19th Battalion patrol and joined it. He was later charged with desertion, having abandoned his post. See page 202 for more information.
See this page for excerpt of his personal diary.
May 1919
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 
My name is Richard Rooney and I am a grandson of William Rooney. He was battlefield commissioned in March 1917 and transferred from C Coy to D Coy. He was wounded June 1916, September 1916, April 1917 and April 1918. I have his 1917 diary. He died Nov 11 1936 and hundreds of Veterans of the 18th attended his funeral in Sarnia.
Richard,
Thank you so much for commenting and sharing your information at my blog. If you have any materials you wish me to add to William’s page please let me know. I admit my page on your grandfather does not reflect the level of service he experienced or offered during the war. From what I gather from Duty Nobly Done and other sources he was quite the soldier. If you have any supporting documentation or can direct me to any I would appreciate it. I may have to take a trip to Sarnia and get the newspaper clippings regarding his funeral and do an article about him.
Thanks,
Eric
Hello Richard
My name is Mae Anderson from Portadown Northern Ireland. My granny Harriet Priscilla McConnell (nee Rooney) was your grandfather (William Fallis Rooney) sister, born 36 Mill street Enniskillen). I have read the story about your grandfather and he must have been so traumatised as a result of what he had been through. My granny would never talk about her siblings, given what they had been through. I am trying to track my family history and am not sure if you could add to it. Anything you can add would be appreciated. I know that a lot of your grandfather’s siblings emigrated to Canada before WWI. If you have any information would you be able to share. Kind regards Mae
Mae,
I am Eric and I think your note was for me. I will definitely look into this and see if I can find any more information.
Eric
Hi Eric. He was certainly a great fighter, but his two courts martial would indicate he was a challenge as a soldier, a classic wild Irishman. I do have some documents and pictures, particularly his 1917 diary. Sadly his death in 1936 was suicide by drowning, his body was not found until spring so the funeral was in spring 1937, if you are checking old Sarnia Observers.
I am sorry to hear about his death in that manner. In Duty Nobly Done they mention him several times.