William John Wills (1834-1861), British surveyor and explorer. Wills was second-in-command of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition (1860-1861) across Australia. The leader was Irish soldier and police officer Robert O'Hara Burke (1821-1861). During the expedition, seven men died including Burke and Wills on the return journey. The expedition was the first to cross Australia from south to north, finding a route across the continent from the settled areas of Victoria to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Artwork published in 1868.