William Gordon Gething, born on 9th February 1897, was admitted to King Edward’s School in September 1909, having transferred from King Edward’s Grammar School, Aston. He was later awarded a Foundation Scholarship. He was the only son of Margaret and William, a glass and China merchant, and the family, including his sister, Helen, lived at 9, Gordon Road, Handsworth (and later at 57, St Peter’s Road).
At School, William was a member of the Debating Society, and was a Sergeant in the School Officer Training Corps. The School Lists reveal that he was a strong mathematician, and that he studied in the Classical School (which offered a curriculum that emphasised classical rather than scientific subjects).
In October 1916, William gained a commission in the South Staffordshire Regiment as a Second Lieutenant. In February 1917 he was sent to France, and on 23rd September 1917 he was killed in action at Ypres. William is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Flanders, and his father applied for his medals in 1921.