Willy attended Dr Evans's school in Market Bosworth but poor health interrupted
this. He returned home and various tutors were found for him, but it appears
that he was never very bright and also had poor eyesight. He became engaged to a
lady in Madeira who died before they were married after which he was sent to
join his brother Charlie in Australia. He ran into debt and generally behaved
rather irresponsibly and returned to England with Charlie in 1862.
William was
eventually gazetted to the 2nd West India Regiment but later sold
out. He married Catherine Annie Glasse in 1870 and they had one stillborn
daughter. Letters written by his sister, Jane, in the 1890s show him as a
neglectful husband, lavishing his time and money on the daughters of his brother
Joe. He died at Droxford, Hants, aged 75.