William John Thomas Humphrey was born in Sidcup, Kent, in 1896. He was the youngest child and only son of William and Selina Humphrey. According to the 1911 census, William Humphrey Sr. was a general labourer while William Humphrey Jr. worked as an assistant greengrocer. The family lived at 101 Frances Avenue, Ilford.
William enlisted in the army in 1912, and in August 1914 he was serving with the 2nd Battalion, the Essex Regiment. The regiment embarked for France on the 22nd August 1914. Soon after his arrival in France, William was shot through his lungs at the Battle of Aisne. After treatment at the American Hospital in Paris, and later in Manchester, William was granted leave in the week before Christmas 1914 and visited his parents' home.
In February 1915, William was posted to the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment, and sent to the Dardanelles. By this time, William had been promoted to Lance Corporal. William was wounded on 5th August and, although he wrote a letter home to his parents on 8th August, he died of his wounds the following day.
William John Thomas Humphrey is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.
Research by Redbridge Museum, with thanks to Frances Speakman
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com
Ilford Recorder, 3rd September 1915