Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the husband of Ada Merrick. The War Diary for today records. (Morning Report) Nothing to report except that enemy’s trenches were all held last night and scouts were unable to discover anything. Saps continued, communications improved, parapets repaired. Owing to main parapet’s falling down everywhere, and a great many sandbags are urgently required for repairing same. (Evening Report) Nothing to report.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Born 31 March 1885 in Ryton, Bulkington, Warwickshire. By 1901, the family were living in Upper Bond Street, Hinckley, and William worked as a gas stoker (probably at the town's gas works, alongside his father). He enlisted for service on 5 December 1901 for a term of 6 years: he was posted to the R.A.M.C. then later as a Private in 1st Bn Leicestershire Regiment. He was 5 ft 6 in tall, weighed 29 lbs, and had a fresh complexion, dark brown eyes and brown hair. 1902 saw him as a Private in the Military Medical Staff Corps and serving in South Africa. He earned a Good Conduct Badge in 1905.
On 13 December 1912, he married Ada Brown at St John's Church, Colaba, India, by which time he was a corporal. By 1913, he was a Sergeant and serving with 2nd Bn Leicesters. In 1914 he sailed with the regiment from India to Marseilles, France, and they made their way to Flanders. He was killed in action on 8 December 1914.
His obituary in the local newspaper tells that his wife and infant son - William Herbert - were in transit from India at the time. Sadly, his son William was also killed in action, in WW2 in the Middle East. His wife was pregnant at the time with their first child
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Submitted by I. Phillpott in 2020