William Bloomfield was born in 1891 in Martlesham, Suffolk. By 1911, he had moved away and was working in Scotland as a chauffeur and motor mechanic to J B Black of Craigowan House in Symington, near Kilmarnock.

On 7th August 1914, William travelled to Ayr where he enlisted in the Army Service Corps as a Mechanical Special – by 16th August he was in France. His employer, J B Black, was a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd (Territorial) Battalion Cameron Highlanders and provided his reference, dated 5th August 1914, which may suggest that he was encouraged to enlist early on.

William boarded the SS Burnholm at Liverpool on 14th August 1916 for the two-day voyage to Boulogne. Throughout his time in France, he remained with the Army Service Corps, working as a driver, attached to several different regiments: on arrival in France, he was a driver for the General Headquarters, followed by a posting to work for the Indian Brigade Staff Captain, with whom he remained until February 1915. William was then posted to the 1st Siege Battery Ammunition Column until he went on leave back to the Britain on 23rd October 1915. On his return to France, he was posted to the Royal Engineers Signals and attached to the L16 Motor Airline Section (MAS) who installed and maintained overhead cables for a telephone/telegraph system from lorries. While with the L16 MAS, William was promoted to Lance Corporal.

In December 1916, he was back in the UK again for another period of leave, and on his return, he was posted to another role, this time as a driver for the 10th Anti-Aircraft Section (K, Y and C batteries), with whom he remained for the rest of the war.

In December 1917, William had his third home leave, during which he married Elizabeth Anderson in Linlithgow, Scotland. At the end of the war, William was transferred to Britain for release due to his long service. After four years and two hundred and sixtyeight days in the services, the majority of which was spent in France, he was demobilised on 1st May 1919.

For his war service, William received the 1914 Star and the British War and Victory Medals.

In 1939, William was living with wife Elizabeth at the Golf House, Felixstowe with his mother, father and brother George. Both George and William were hackney carriage proprietors. William died in 1958 in Felixstowe.