William Ernest Stapleton was born in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, the son of Margaret Stapleton and older brother of Frank Stapleton.
He served with the 7th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers and transferred to the Army Pay Corps, disembodied on 12 Apr 1919. His younger brother, Frank Stapleton is a unique WWI name on the Commonwealth War Graves database, was the son of Margaret Stapleton and served with the 1/4th Bn. South Lancashire Regiment. He was Killed In Action on 10 Apr 1918, commemorated on the Loos Memorial.