Biography:
William Ambrose Short was born 11 April 1871, the son of the Revd Ambrose Short (College 1846-1852), Rector of Saham Tony, Norfolk and Rural Dean of Thetford, and Lucy, daughter of the Reverend H Douglas, Canon of Durham Cathedral.
He came to Winchester College from Mr Harrison's school at Dunchurch Hall in September 1884 and was in E House, Morshead's. He left in December 1888 and passed into Woolwich, and from there obtained a commission in the Royal Field Artillery in 1891.
William subsequently serving for many years in India, before being appointed in 1902 to the staff of the Bombay Command. When war broke out he had been back in England for six years. He left for France in August 1914 in command of 68 Battery RFA. He was invalided home in February 1915, again in September 1916 and returned to France for the third and last time in April 1917.
He was killed near Armentières on 21 June 1917 while accompanying his Divisional Commander on a tour of inspection round the battery positions. He was three times mentioned in Despatches, and was awarded the CMG in January 1916.
He married Miss Ethel Lamb in 1901 who died in 1905 and he married secondly Miss Lucy Bromfield in 1907 and left one daughter. He possessed a wide knowledge of Oriental languages and wrote a considerable amount of poetry, much of it to his wife, and a small volume of his verse was published after his death.