Biography:
William Sheepshanks was born 5 August 1890, the fifth son of the Right Reverend John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich, 1893-1909 and Margaret , daughter of Thomas Ryott of Thirsk. He was one of four Wykehamist brothers and one of fourteen Sheepshanks children in all. His older sister Mary was prominent in the Suffragette movement and a peace campaigner. His Wykehamist brothers were Richard Sheepshanks (College1885-1890), Edward Sheepshanks (College 1897-1903) and Thomas Herbert Sheepshanks (College 1908-1913). His father went out to Canada in August 1859 with money raised from friends in England to lay the foundations for Holy Trinity Church, New Westminster, British Colombia in 1860. He became its Rector until 1866. The church burned down in 1865 while Sheepshanks was in England fund raising. He returned to New Westminster in April 1866, but while planning the new church he was forced to resign owing to the failing health of his aging parents. On his way back to England – travelling on foot and unarmed – he crossed Northern China, seven hundred miles of Gobi Desert, the Siberian wilderness, the Ural Mountains, and visited Moscow, returning to England in 1867. In 1868 he became Vicar of Bolton, Yorkshire. He married in 1870, and in 1873 was made Vicar of St. Mary’s Anfield in Liverpool. In June 1893 he was consecrated Bishop of Norwich, a position he held until 1909. Bishop Sheepshanks died in June 1912 at the age of seventy eight.
William came to Winchester College from the Oxford Preparatory School in January 1904 as a Scholar. He was Prefect of Chapel in his last year, and won the Warden and Fellows' Prize for Greek Iambics, the King's Silver Medal for English Speech and the Duncan Reading Prize. He also played in College VI and in 2nd XI cricket.
He left Winchester in 1909 having been elected to a Classical Scholarship at New College, Oxford. William took his degree in 1913 with a First in Classical Moderations, and a Second in Literae Humaniores. He then joined the Civil Service and received an appointment in the Home Office.
When war broke out he made efforts to obtain his release and secured it with some difficulty in 1915, being given a commission in the 6th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps. He was later attached to 2nd Battalion. On 10 July 1917, the British detachment occupying a position on the east bank of the Lys, just south of Nieuport, was attacked by the enemy with 58 batteries of artillery - over 300 guns - many of which fired shells containing mustard gas (the first time this had been used by the Germans) and three 240 mm naval guns. Sheepshanks fell severely wounded during this bombardment, and was taken prisoner by the Germans. He died at a German field-dressing station.
William's place of burial is unknown but he is commemorated on Panel 15 of the Nieuport Memorial and on the war memorial at the Home Office, located in the main atrium of their Westminster building.