Linked by a wartime history February 3, 2013 IT IS ironic the young Frenchman decided to target the soldier on the Cenotaph for his 3am antics. The statue is based on Private William Darby of the 15th Infantry Battalion, who served both at Gallipoli and on the Western Front repelling the German advance into France and Belgium. The story of the losses on the bloody battlefields of the Somme, Ypres, Arras, Loos and Amiens would be essential history reading for most French students. Darby's physique was considered right for the model for the statue. Another qualification was his service abroad in keeping with the highest traditions of the Anzacs. A native of Monasterevin, County Kildare, Ireland, he died in Brisbane on November 15, 1935, with no known surviving relatives here. For Australia, as for many countries, World War I remains the most costly conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than 5 million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which more than 61,512 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner.