William was another of Filey’s decorated officers and had received the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross by the time he died.  Having been in the army since the age of 14 (he joined in 1902), William had started as a Private soldier based in Leeds and was still this when he married Ellen Rawson on 26^th December 1906 in Filey.  

By the time war was declared in 1914 he had become a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery, the unit where he to stay for the rest of the war.  William’s father had also been a soldier based at Leeds, so the family obviously had a military background.

          His first decoration, for the Military Cross, was received in September 1915 when he was serving with the 112^th Battery RFA, and the citation read:

“For conspicuous gallantry on 9th August 1915, during the attack on Hooge, when he sent back information all day from trenches which were being heavily and continuously shelled. On 14th August when our trenches were again being heavily shelled, he was mainly instrumental in getting all spare men into a place of safety, thus avoiding many casualties after which he returned to his observation post in the trenches. By his coolness and grasp of the situation he undoubtedly saved many lives."

William received a bar to this Military Cross for a similar action in January 1918, and a bar to his D.S.O. just two months before his death.  At this time he was a member of the 24^th Brigade, RFA and this was to be his final posting, as he was killed in action just nine days before the Armistice and buried in Le Cateau Communal Cemetery. 

His wife received a letter at their home in Scarborough (as they had moved from Camden Villa, Filey in July 1918) from the General commanding William’s division.  He said that he was saddened to hear of William’s death as he was a fine and valued officer, but additionally that William was about to be gazetted Colonel, and the day of his death was to have been the date he was to be told.