Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of George Bromley, born in the January quarter of 1868 in Fleckney and baptised on the 31st May 1868 in St. Wilfrid’s Church, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire (son of Joseph Bromley and Mary Green) and his wife Lydia Bromley, (nee Burdett, married on the 3rd August 1891 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney), born in the April quarter of 1872 in Fleckney and baptised on the 4th October 1874 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney (daughter of William Burdett and Alice Garner). William Burdett, was born in the October quarter of 1891 in Fleckney and baptised on the 13th May 1894 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney). William’s mother died in the October quarter of 1899 in Fleckney, aged 28 and was interred in the Churchyard of St. Nicholas, Fleckney on the 3rd October 1899. In March 1901 William was residing with his widower father, a hosiery trade worker and his siblings, Mary Jane, born in the July quarter of 1893 and baptised on the 13th May 1894 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney and Alice, born in the October quarter of 1899, both his siblings were born in Fleckney, at the Granel, Fleckney, this being the family home of William’s paternal aunt, Harriett Eliza Dunkley (nee Bromley), a machine seamer, born in the October quarter of 1865 in Kibworth Beauchamp and baptised on the 31st May 1868 in St. Wilfrid’s Church, Kibworth Beauchamp, and her children, Edith Emily, a machine linker, born in the April quarter of 1888 and baptised on the 6th May 1888 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney, Charles Henry, born in the April quarter of 1889 and baptised on the 2nd February 1890 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney and Frank William, born in the January quarter of 1894 and baptised on the 15th May 1894 in the Church of St. Nicholas, Fleckney, the latter three children were all born in Fleckney. In April 1911 William was employed as a frame work knitter and was residing at Gladstone Street, Fleckney, together with his father, a hosiery trade worker and his siblings, Jane, a hosiery trade linker and Alice, a schoolgirl, this was the family home of William’s paternal aunt, Eliza Dunkley and her children, Edith, a hosiery trade linker, Charles, a hosiery trade worker and Frank a hosiery trade winder.
William’s Army enlistment documents do not survive, all that is known of his military service is that he attested/enlisted in Loughborough, Leicestershire into the Leicestershire Regiment (Territorial Force), was allotted the service number 2083, and posted as a Private to the Depot of the Leicestershire Regiment. He was subsequently posted to the 1/5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment and it was with this Battalion that he first entered the theatre of war in Le Havre, France on the 28th February 1915. Under the Army Council Instruction of 1917 that promulgated a new numbering system for all Territorial Force units, he was allotted the service number 240385. Nothing further is known of William’s military service, though he was at some point promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and had also been transferred to the 8th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, and it was while serving with this Battalion that he was officially recorded as having been killed in action on the 11th April 1917, his body was never recovered and he is therefore recorded on the Arras Memorial to the Missing in the Pas de Calais, France. William was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
The War Diary records: 5-14 Apr-17 - The Battalion moved forward and occupied the outpost line on the HENIN – CROISILLES ROAD. “D” and “C” Companies held the front line of posts in the sunken roads T.17.d. and a. due north of CROISILLES. “B” Company were in support in the sunken road running through T.16.b., 17.a. and c. “A” Company in reserve in the sunken road T.21.d. Battalion Headquarters in the railway embankment T.20.d.80.25. The Battalion held this line until the night of the 12th/13th April, patrols were sent out continually at night and contact was established with the enemy. -?- in dispositions was made as follows:- On the 9th April Battalion Headquarters moved up to the sunken road in T.22.a..20.35. -?- then “A” Company from reserve relieved “D” Company in the front line as a consequence of heavy casualties suffered by “D” Company who lost 4 officers and 15 other ranks on the night of the 10th/11th April from enemy shell fire. 2nd Lieutenant W. H. BENNETT was killed and 2nd Lieutenant’s MESNY, DOUGLAS and UNDERWOOD (died of wounds 16th April) being wounded. On the morning of the 12th April “D” Company under Major T. L. WARNER carried out a minor enterprise in conjunction with the 6th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT and the 64th Infantry Brigade. The operation was to bomb down the HINDENBURG TRENCH and take up a line close to and on three sides of FONTAINE-LES-CROISILLES. “D” Company continued the line of attack on the right of the 6th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT, who were to keep in touch with the line of the attack of the 64th Infantry Brigade, but were to remain outside the wire of the HINDENBURG LINE. The operations were held up, very early in the day owing to failure in supply of bombs. Major WARNER using every bit of cover afforded by the folds in the ground remained with “D” Company out in the open until midnight 12th/13th April, during which time the Company suffered casualties to 20 other ranks, 8 being killed. The same night the Battalion was relieved by the 7th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT. Bivouacked in MOYENVILLE whence it marched to ADINFER and bivouacked on the 14th April.