William was born and lived in Liverpool, one of seven children of Isaac Gilbert and his wife Francis Ann (Benbow). Although his father and older brother worked for the National Telephone Corporation, William was an 18 year old warehouse lad for the Old Calabar Biscuit Company in Liverpool when he enlisted in May 1916. He appears originally to have joined the Seaforth Highlanders. He was posted to France on 7 November 2017 and transferred at some point to the 7th (Westmorland & Cumberland Yeomanry) Battalion of the Border Regiment. He died at the Battle of Amerval on 20 October 2018 during an  attack near Neuvilly in which the 7th Borders sustained heavy losses. He is commemmorated on Panel 6 of the Vis en Artois memorial. 

Sara Benbow