Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the husband of May Cosgrove (formerly Gurr). William had been a regular soldier and lived in Midland Cottages in Wigston before his marriage, being employed at The Two Steeples hosiery factory in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire. Upon the outbreak of war he rejoined the colours. With his wife and baby daughter Irene he continued to live in Wigston and on Thursday 3rd September 1914 the Leicester Daily Mercury reported the ‘Departure of Drafts from Glen Parva’. The party of 240 drafts left Glen Parva Barracks in South Wigston and were followed by 16 from The Two Steeples factory. They were all under the command of Colour Sergeant Gurr and were leaving to join the 3rd and 6th Battalion. They were followed by female employees en masse many of them carrying flags. They were played to the railway station by Charles Moore’s band. He died as a result of an operation for gastritis. Other sources show his rank as Sergeant.