William Archibald Macfadyen

[2] Macfadyen enlisted in the British army during the First World War and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in "The Buffs" (The Royal East Kent Regiment).

Due to suffering knee and wrist injuries by machine gun fire in 1917 in Iraq, he was declared unfit for further service.

In 1943, during the Second World War, he served in England, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as a hydrogeologist, being part of the well-drilling units and trained more junior military geologists.

[2] After returning from the war, he resumed his studies at Cambridge and in 1920 went on to join the Anglo Egyptian Oilfields Ltd working as their primary geologist.

He also visited the Zebaiyir Islands, and spent another six months in Rumania working with Astra Romania S.A., where he geologically mapped a portion of the Doicesti area.