William was born on 27th December 1877 in Leigh, Kent, to John and Sophia Colvin and baptised a month later, early in the new year, on 27th January 1878. In the 1881 census he and his family were living at Coppins Brook Cottages in Leight parish - by 1891 the Seal family had moved to Leigh Park Cottages, in the same village; William then aged 13 and working as an agricultural labourer with his father.
Just two short years later William joined the Navy as a Boy 2nd Class, training at HMS BOSCAWEN until 12 Feb 1895, rising to Boy 1st Class on 12th September 1894. He was recorded as 5'7" tall with black hair and hazel eyes and the remainder of his service record follows:
INFLEXIBLE - 13/02/1895 - 18/02/1895
VERNON - 19/02/1895 - 22/05/1895
INFLEXIBLE - 23/05/1895 - 23/05/1895
RAVEN - 24/05/1895 - 21/01/1896, rising to Ordinary Seaman on his 18th Birthday, 27th Dec 1895
VICTORY I - 22/01/1896 - 28/01/1896
INFLEXIBLE - 29/01/1896 - 13/04/1896
FOX - 14/04/1896 - 07/07/1899, rising to Able Seaman on 03/12/1896
PEMBROKE - 08/07/1899 - 10/10/1899, rising to Leading Seaman on 22/09/1899
WILDFIRE - 11/10/1899 - 01/09/1900
VERNON - 02/09/1900 - 24/11/1900, rising to Petty Officer 2nd Class on 01/10/1900
WILDFIRE - 25/11/1900 - 29/04/1903, rising to Petty Officer 1st Class on 29/10/1901 (William was here during the 1901 census. He also married Minnie Wright on 17th March 1901)
PEMBROKE - 30/04/1903 - 18/04/1904
PALLAS - 19/04/1904 - 12/11/1904
PEMBROKE - 13/11/1904 - 13/12/1904
WILDFIRE - 14/12/1904 - 19/05/1905
PEMBROKE - 20/05/1905 - 15/07/1906
ANDROMEDA - 16/07/1906 - 21/04/1907
ACHILLES - 22/04/1907 - 10/05/1909, rising to Petty Officer on 03/02/1909
PEMBROKE I - 11/05/1909 - 04/04/1910
BLACK PRINCE - 05/04/1910 - 22/04/1912, aboard the Armoured Cruiser which was anchored during the night of the 1911 census.
PEMBROKE - 23/04/1912 - 31/01/1914, rising to CPO on 27/06/1913
VANGUARD - 01/02/1914 - 09/07/1917
William left a widow and two children, William and Winifred.
(#112 - 670/843)
Sources:
1881, 1891, 1901 & 1911 England Census
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 - Ancestry.com
Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939 National Archives Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services; Class: ADM 188; Piece: 291
England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973 - Ancestry.com
CWGC Register
British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960 National Archives 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
WWI Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923 - Ancestry.com
Photo courtesy of Brian Budge
Village photo courtesy of http://theweald.org/P5.asp?PId=PK.Leigh