William Hearn was born in the Two Waters are of Apsley, Hertfordshire in March 1888 the fifth child of Joseph Hearn and Ethelinda Stringer. Joseph and Ethelinda had eight children together who were; George, Florence, Alice, Emma, William, Frederick, Ethelinda and the youngest Harold. William's younger brother Frederick died aged nineteen in 1914. The Hearn family lived on Weymouth Street in Apsley for many years and all the children grew up there and many, including William stayed on the street even when they left home and married. William started his working life as a "Stamper" when he left school in 1901, with John Dickinson & Co Limited in Apsley Mills. By the time of the 1911 Census he had moved to another job within the firm and worked as a "Sawyer", a skilled trade.

He met Annie Saunders, a local girl from nearby Kings Langley in the Paper Mills and soon they became sweethearts. Annie lived with her younger sister at their Grandparents home on Langley Hill in Kings Langley, and she worked in the card packing department at Dickinsons. William and Annie married on Wednesday, 25th August 1915 in Kings Langley and shortly afterwards, set up home at 27 Weymouth Street in Apsley. Both in their late twenties, the couple did not have any children and four months after their wedding, William went to join the Colours.

He enlisted under the Group (Derby) Scheme and joined the Royal Engineers and on the promise of future service he was assigned to Group 33 and transferred to the Army Reserve. At his enlistment in Hemel Hempstead, William was described as 5ft 5½ins in height, weighing 132lbs (9st 6oz) and of "good" physical development. The only adverse condition noted, was the state of his teeth which were described as "poor" and requiring treatment. This was not unusual at a time when dental care was basic at best and most people in society suffered from poor dental hygiene. Indeed, almost 99% of all serving soldiers at one time or another had to be admitted to hospital due to dental problems. On a positive note however, today’s modern dental treatments and techniques are as a direct result of efforts to overcome these issues during the Great War, when the earliest developments were driven by the New Zealand specialist dental corps.

Under normal conditions, William would have been called up in April 1916 and mobilised the following month but, given his skilled trade as a "Sawyer", his occupation was "starred" ("reserved" in World War II). It seems likely that an appeal was lodged with the local tribunal on his behalf by his employer who, as the war progressed, became more cautious in releasing skilled employees, and often succeeded in extensions for call up or in some cases complete exemption from service. Whatever the reason, William was finally mobilised at Watford on the 25th August 1916 as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers and was posted initially to Chatham. Eleven days later on the 5th September 1916 he was sent to hospital to undergo dental treatment and by the 1st October he was back with his unit.

For the next year he served on the home front as a Sapper until in September 1917, he was transferred to reinforce the Durham Light Infantry (DLI). William was initially posted to the 11th Battalion DLI but a few days later he was transferred to the 7th Battalion (Pioneers) and sent overseas, disembarking in France on the 21st September 1917 and joined his new unit the following day as part of a draft of 210 Royal Engineers. Pioneer battalions were the forerunners of the Labour Corps and were made up of men capable of fighting but who were normally engaged in labouring work. As soon as William arrived, he was put to work as the Battalion engaged in trench works and road improvements as well as the dangerous task of wire laying in front of the Hindenburg Line.

This worked continued, often in close range of enemy shelling and air attacks, until in February 1918 the Battalion switched to fighting mode as the Germans launched "Operation Michael". By the 12th April the 7th DLI where at La Motte where it occupied out house in a nearby Chateau. The Battalion war diaries recorded the following: "13th About 5.0AM the CHATEAU was heavily shelled for quarter of an hour resulting in several N.C.O.s + men being killed and wounded. The Bn were withdrawn to billets…”

William was one of the unfortunate men killed and he died on Saturday, 18th April 1918.

He was initially reported ‘Missing’ on 13th April 1918 and Annie was informed as such by the War Office. This began two years of correspondence between Annie and the War Office seeking a pension entitlement and confirmation of her husband’s fate. At one point in March 1917, John Dickinson & Co Limited wrote on her behalf requesting documents or information regarding William’s presumed death so that she could settle insurance claims. The response from the War Office confirmed that no firm information was available and indeed, the pension she had been granted was temporary only and could be cancelled should William turn up, even though the respondent noted that this was highly unlikely.

It was not until October 1919 that Annie finally received official confirmation of William’s death when she at last obtained his effects, his war gratuity payment and confirmation of her pension entitlement. This was a common experience for many of the families left behind after a soldier had been killed.

William was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co Limited War Memorial at Apsley End where he had worked for fifteen years.

Research suggests that William has the unique honour of being recorded on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial three times, albeit mistakenly. As well as his own name, two others William Kearn and W Fearn are listed, the former was recorded living at the same address as William in Weymouth Street when the initial Roll of Honour was published in the Gazette in 1919. There is no record of this individual in Hemel Hempstead at the time and no military records exist, so it appears to be an incorrect inscription. The same applies to the latter name, W Fearn for which no records have come to light so again this would appear to be an incorrect recording of William's name.

William is Remembered with Honour on Ploegsteert Memorial, Hainaut, Belgium, Panel 8 and 9.

He was 30 years old when he died.

William was eligible for the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.