William was born in Renfrew and in the 1911 census he is shown as living with his father, William and mother Marion at Dunarden, 11 Church Road, Forest Hill. He was the eldest of 5 siblings and had had two sisters, Agnes and Marion and two brothers Robert and Andrew. William was an Textile Agent's Assistant and was a Presbyterian. He was exempted from conscription under the terms of the Pelham Committee on 13 December 1916 to do work of national importance. He had joined the Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU) on 6 December 1916. His conditional exemption came after conscription was introduced when Military Representatives on tribunals were instructed to limit membership of the FAU to Quakers and Quaker personnel records show him as a Presbyterian. He worked for the FAU General Service at the YMCA Lads Club at Woolwich Arsenal from 16 December 1916 until 1 February 1919 when he was demobilized. He died in Lewisham in September 1971.

Source 007