William Hutton was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in late 1887 and baptised on 22nd June 1888 in St Paul’s Church on Queen Street along with his sisters Rose and Beatrice. William was the second son and fourth child born to George Hutton and Elizabeth Smith whose other children were, Arthur George, Rose Jane, Beatrice Elizabeth, Elizabeth and Herbert. William’s two older sisters Rose and Beatrice both died in 1893 aged nine and eight respectively, possibly from measles a common cause of death in children in late Victorian England. His father George died in 1899 when William was only twelve-years-old. William went to Queen Street School close to where he lived and a note in the school log in 1895 reveals that he was considered a “Delicate” child and was exempt from “the Standard I” test that year. This was not an unusual occurrence at that time and six of William’s school mates are also listed with the same condition. He completed his education in 1900 and immediately went to work for John Dickinson & Co. Limited in Apsley Mills where his father had been employed for many years and where William worked as a “Paper Stamper”.

Whilst working in Apsley Mills William met Amy Stone who worked in the Card Department and the two became sweethearts. They married in in St Mary’s Church, Apsley End in early 1912 and soon started a family, with the arrival of their first child Frederick George later the same year followed in 1916 by a daughter, Doris Beatrice.

William volunteered under the Group (Derby) Scheme when he attested at Hemel Hempstead in October 1915. On the promise of future service, he was posted to the Army Reserve and returned to his job at Dickinsons. In May 1916 he received his call up and he returned to enlist with the Hertfordshire Regiment and was sent for basic training. He was sent to France in early 1917 not long after his daughter Doris was born, and he was posted to the 1/1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment. The 1/1st was under the orders of the 39th Division and throughout 1917 fought in Flanders ending the year engaged in the horror that was Passchendaele. Unfortunately, William’s records do not reveal how long he served with the 1/1st Herts or where he fought but they do record that he received a gunshot wound to the head at some point. It was as a result of this wound that he was transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry later in the War. It was not uncommon for wounded men, particularly in the later years of the conflict, to be posted back to a different regiment when they recovered from the one that they initially joined. This was based on a policy of reinforcing units which had suffered heavy losses and required rebuilding.

Following the Armistice signing on the 11th November 1918, it appears William was back in England and living in Tooting in southwest London with his wife and children. This suggests he was either on home leave, was ill suffering from his wounds or had possibly been demobilised. Whatever the reason William was clearly unwell and in late November he contracted Meningitis and died suddenly in Hospital at Bermondsey. The meningitis was cited as the cause of death but directly as a result of the gunshot injuries he had received, and he was deemed to have “Died of Wounds”.

William died on Monday, 25th November 1918.

He was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial at Apsley End where he had worked until going to war. He was also commemorated on the War Memorial Plaque in St Mary’s Church, Apsley End where he had married and worshipped. His remains were returned to Apsley for burial and William is Remembered with Honour in the Apsley End (St. Mary) Churchyard, Apsley, England, where he is interred in a Grave between the Church and road.

The inscription on his headstone, requested by his wife Amy, reads; “SINCERE AND TRUE IN HEART AND MIND A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY LEFT BEHIND”.

He was 31 years old when he died.

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