William enlisted on 18th August 1914. He was 19 years old and a clerk by trade. He embarked at Southampton on the 8th July 1915, then disembarking the next day at Rouen, he entered the war in France on 9th July 1915. On 26th July he was posted to the A.D.M.S. at Boulogne, and served in the Rawalpindi General Hospital. On the 3rd September 1915, he was transferred to No 4 Ambulance Flotilla. On the night of the 10th March 1916, William was sent into the town of St Venant to purchase some eggs and vegetables for the patients consumption. About 6.45 p.m. several men heard a cry for help, then a splash, followed by shouting that someone had gone overboard. Looking between the barge and a tug a cap was seen floating in the water. William was pulled out of the water but was unconscious, and although he was treated immediately, he never regained consciousness. On examination there was two marks on his left temple, which indicated that he had hit his head when he fell. He was the son of Dr William Ascroft and Mary Jane Bibby of Joyce Green Hospital Dartford, Kent.