The April 1891 Census shows the family living at 330 Highlands Brow, St Helens. William is one year old and lives with his parents, six siblings, his maternal grandmother, a cousin and a boarder. His father is 39 years of age and employed as a coal miner and his mother is 36. His siblings are shown as; Anne aged 17 and a glassworker, James is 14 and also a glassworker, Alice is 11, John is 9, Peter is 6, and Thomas is 4. His grandmother is Ellen Derbyshire a 75 year old widow. William Waine is described as a nephew and is 13 years of age and recorded as a glassworker. The boarder is James Christopher a 40 year old general labourer. 

At the time of the April 1901 Census the family had moved and are living at 61 Ell Bess Lane, St Helens. William is 11 years old and lives with both parents and seven siblings. His father is now 48 years of age and a coal miner (hewer), his mother is 44. His siblings are shown as; Alice aged 21, John aged 19 and a grocer's assistant, Peter is 16 and a coal miner, underground and a day wage man, Thomas is a 14 year old cooper, Joseph is 9, George is 7, Ellen is one. Also shown is William Gaskell, grandson aged 6.     

The April 1911 Census finds the family at 65 Sherdley Road, St Helens. William is shown as a single man aged 21 and a grocer's shop assistant living at home with his parents, six siblings and nephew. His parents advise that they have been married for 37 years and have had eleven children, all of whom have survived.  His siblings are recorded as; Peter a 26 year old jobbing fitter, Thomas a 24 year old cooper, Joseph a 19 year old labourer below ground, George is a 17 year old glass blowing apprentice, Ellen aged 11 and Mary aged 9 are at school. His nephew, William, is a 16 year old glass blowing apprentice.   

He enlisted in St Helens and originally served as Private 250175 in the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry and, following a transfer, was serving in the 18^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Lance-Corporal No 300254 when he was killed in action on the 29^th April 1918, aged 28, during the German Spring Offensive. 

On the day of his death 29th April 1918, the Battalion was serving on the Ypres Salient and was in the front line at Elzenwalle, near Ridge Wood, awaiting a renewal of the German assault on that front.

At 02.30 am the attack began with a devastating bombardment along the whole battle front, from the forward positions back to a depth of over a mile. At 6am the enemy Infantry attacked, the main force of the assault being directed at a position near Ridge Wood, where one of the Battalion’s forward listening posts was captured and held. Then, 16999 Company Sergeant Major G Sutton of No.1 Company gallantly drove out the attackers with Mills Bombs, an action for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. After a strong defence along the Battalion frontage, the Germans withdrew. They continued their artillery barrage throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, however, and at about 17.00 began to mass once more for another Infantry attack. This was contained by Rifle and Lewis Gun fire, until a large British Artillery barrage at 18.00 finally broke up all enemy activity. 

William's body was not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after August 16th 1917 are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war.

The Tyne Cot Memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett on 20 June 1927.

The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station.