William was born on 6th February 1879 in Ripple, Kent to parents Samuel and Annie.
He was just 2 years old when recorded on the 1881 census, living at Ripple Farm Cottage, Ripple, with his parents (his father was a farm servant), a younger and older sibling and 5 boarders who worked on the farm with Samuel. Sometime during the next 10 years the family moved just 2 miles from Ripple to Northbourne, for more farm work and were recorded on the 1891 census living at Corrington Cottages. William was the eldest child at the time with 2 younger sisters. He can’t be found on the following census, but was aboard a ship or based at a shore establishment as he joined the Navy on 20th October 1894, noted as being 5'7" tall with brown hair, blue eyes and a scar on the back of each hand.
His service follows:
HMS IMPREGNABLE - 20/10/1894 - 24/10/1894, as a Boy 1st Class
HMS LION - 25/10/1894 - 19/02/1896, rising to Boy 2nd Class on 26/09/1895
HMS PEMBROKE I - 20/02/1896 - 05/05/1896
HMS MAJESTIC - 06/05/1896 - 28/05/1897, rising to Ordinary Seaman on 06/02/1897
HMS ACTIVE - 29/05/1897 - 17/10/1897, spending 14 days in cells
HMS PEMBROKE I - 18/10/1897 - 17/11/1897
HMS RAMBLER - 18/11/1897 - 07/03/1901, rising to Able Seaman on 25/03/1900
HMS PEMBROKE - 08/03/1901 - 20/05/1901
HMS WILDFIRE - 21/05/1901 - 03/12/1902
HMS SEVERN - 04/12/1902 - 10/02/1903
HMS MERSEY - 11/02/1903 - 30/06/1903
HMS HEARTY - 01/07/1903 - 23/01/1905, rising to Leading Seaman on 07/10/1903 and Petty Officer 2nd Class 05/10/1904
HMS BARHAM - 24/01/1905 - 05/06/1905, rising to Petty Officer 1st Class on 09/02/1905
HMS PEMBROKE I - 06/06/1905 - 12/09/1905
HMS WILDFIRE - 13/09/1905 - 07/02/1906
HMS PEMBROKE - 08/02/1906 - 07/05/1906
HMS RESOLUTION - 08/05/1906 - 11/02/1907
HMS BULWARK - 12/02/1907 - 17/08/1908
HMS DUNCAN - 18/08/1908 - 08/08/1910
HMS PEMBROKE I - 09/08/1910 - 29/01/1911
HMS TALBOT - 30/01/1911 - 06/02/1911
HMS DWARF - 07/02/1911 - 07/05/1912, recorded on the 1911 census, aged 32, he was stationed off the west coast of Africa.
HMS CRESCENT - 08/05/1912 - 08/06/1912
HMS PEMBROKE I - 09/06/1912 - 27/03/1912
HMS VANGUARD - 28/03/1912 - 09/07/1917, rising to Acting Chief Petty Officer on 01/11/1916
William was aboard during the Battle of Jutland and was killed aged 38.
(#84 - 724/843)
Sources:
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 - Free BMD
1881, 1891 & 1911 England census
Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947
British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960 National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Admiralty and predecessors: Office of the Director General of the Medical Department of the Navy and predecessors: Service Registers and Registers of Deaths and Injuries. Registers of Reports of Deaths
Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll, 1914-1919 TNA Series: ADM 242/10; Scan Number: 0574
British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960 National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Admiralty: Naval Casualties, Indexes, War Grave Rolls and Statistics Book, First World War.; Class: ADM 242; Piece: 010 (1914 - 1919)
Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939 National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services; Class: ADM 188; Piece: 304