William was educated at Inverurie Public School and Gordon's College, Aberdeen, graduating M.A. in 1914. From 1914-1916, he studied at Aberdeen U.F. College, where he gained the Foote Scholarship in Hebrew and the Eadie Prize in New Testament Greek. William enlisted on 8th January 1916. He was 25 years and 330 days old, and was living at 138 Blenheim Place, Aberdeen at the time. He was sent to Army Reserve and then mobilized on 18th April the same year. After training in Aldershot he was sent to Salonika, leaving on 9th August - he entered the war in Salonika on the 20th, with his unit to form the 42nd General Hospital. On 6th August 1918, after a batch of sickness, he transferred to serve with the 66th Field Ambulance. William died of malaria whist in Salonika. He was the son of Agnes Sim Booth and the late Thomas Tait Booth, manager of the Port Elhinstone paper-works, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.