Sergeant William James Hagan of the Royal Marine Light Infantry was born on the 29th of April 1867, Liverpool to Robert and Margaret Hagan (née Martindale), the seventh  of their ten children. His father was born in Ireland and his mother in Wales. He was just 10 years old when his mother died.

William enlisted in the Royal marine Light Infantry in November 1884 at the age of 17 and was promoted to Sergeant in November 1898. He married Henrietta Maud Blackmore on the 18th of October 1887 in Stonehouse, Devon. The couple lived in Devon until William was discharged  in October 1906 having completed his period of service. They then moved back to his home town of Liverpool. He enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve October 1906. As a member of the reserve he would have been called up again when war was declared.

William had been wounded seriously on five different occasions during WW1. He was in Plymouth Battalion of the Royal Marine Brigade at Ostend, Dunkirk and the siege of Antwerp in 1914 and was wounded at the battle of Kumkale, in March 1915, and at ‘Y’ Beach in May 1915 while serving in the Gallipoli Campaign. This particularly disastrous campaign resulted in approximately 250,000 casualties on each side.

William’s younger brother Thomas died of wounds in France, August 1916 and his son Frederick died in Flanders in 1917.

William embarked on the Laurentic on the 20th of October 1917. His body was recovered and transported back to Liverpool for burial in West Derby Cemetery. He was buried West Derby Cemetery 6th February 1917