Major William Pain was born in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire in September 1889 the fifth child born to George Pain and Jane Plumridge. George and Jane had six children who were: George Herbert, Alice Ethel, Louise Harriet, Millicent Mary, Major William and Valentine Henry. Major’s uncommon name is believed to be of Norman origin and came to England at the time of the invasion in 1066. It is variously described as meaning ‘Great’ or ‘Important’ and of course, was eventually assigned military significance with the rank between Captain and Lieutenant Colonel.

Major’s father George was a ‘Dairyman’ and ran a Dairy business at ‘Home Farm’ on St John’s Road where the family all grew up. His business appeared in the ‘Commercial’ listing of the “Old Ordnance Survey Map” of 1897 and the oldest boy, known as Herbert, would take over the dairy after George died in January 1906. The family business clearly thrived and by 1901 George’s enterprise had expanded to sell coal and hay as well as milk, but when young Major left school he joined John Dickinson & Co. Limited rather than his father’s dairy. Major trained as a ‘Clerk’ with Dickinsons and he was still with the firm when war broke out in 1914.

Major left Dickinsons and went to Watford where he attested on the 8th December 1915 and enlisted with the 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. When he joined the ‘Colours’ Major was twenty-six years and four months old and well above average height and weight, at five feet ten-and-one-quarter inches tall and just over ten stones in weight.

The 4th was the ‘Reserve’ Battalion of the Regiment and initially moved to Felixstowe to provide home defence around Harwich, as well as drafts for the front line battalions. At first the plan was that the 4th Bedfordshires would continue in a defence role at home, but it seems that Major, who joined a year after the war started, was impatient to get to the Front. At some point in early 1916 he transferred to the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) and after completing his basic training he was sent to France.

He disembarked at Boulogne on the 25th June 1916 and moved to the Base Depot at Camiers to await orders to move. These came on the 5th July when he first joined the 168th Company, before transferring ten days later to the 69th Company which was under the orders of the 69th Infantry Brigade in the 23rd Division. By late 1916, Major was with his unit north of Ypres and his service records recorded that on the 6th November 1916 he was punished and deprived of four days pay, his misdemeanour; “Laughing on 2.0pm parade”. Two months later in January 1917 he was on another ‘fizzer’ for; “Not being shaved when old guard dismounted at 11am”. He avoided further disciplinary action by ‘accepting three extra fatigues’.

The following June the 6th MGC was south of Ypres preparing for the what became known as the Battle of Messines Ridge, a strategic German stronghold since 1914. An immense artillery bombardment of the German lines had begun on the 21st May, involving 2,300 guns and 300 heavy mortars. This barrage ceased at 02:50 on the morning of the 7th June but silence prevailed for only twenty minutes. At 03:10, the order was given across the line to detonate mines totalling 600 tons of explosive which have been positioned underground beneath the enemy position.

The resulting blast blew the crest off the Messines-Wytschaete ridge and was reported as audible in Dublin and by Lloyd George in his Downing Street study. The combined sound of the simultaneous mine explosions comprised the loudest man-made explosion to that point in human history. The lighting up of the sky as the detonations ran across the ridge was likened to a 'pillar of fire'. The effect of the mine explosions upon the German defenders was devastating and some 10,000 men were killed. Nine divisions of Allied infantry immediately advanced under protection of a creeping artillery barrage, tanks and gas attacks and reached the initial objectives within three hours.

Anticipating the plan at Messines the Commander of the 5th Army, General Plumer, was alleged to have said to his staff: "Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography." The British Army suffered over 17,000 casualties in capturing the salient at Messines and Major William Pain was one of the men who was ‘Killed in Action’ during the first advance. Initially listed ‘Missing Presumed Killed’ it was later confirmed officially that Major had died on Thursday, 7th June 1917. A brief entry in the Hemel Gazette reported that he was missing a few weeks after the action at Messines. 

The Pain family had been members of the congregation at the Baptist Chapel in Russell Place, Boxmoor and Major was commemorated on a memorial plaque in the church. The plaque was subsequently removed when the church was demolished and can now be seen in Carey Baptist Church on Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead.

He was also commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co Limited war memorial in Apsley.

Major is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 56.

He was 27 years old when he died.

Major was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.