Background
William Ratcliffe was born on 18 January 1884 at 38 Newhall Street, Liverpool, Lancashire.
William Ratcliffe was born on 18 January 1884 at 38 Newhall Street, Liverpool, Lancashire.
He was educated at Saint Vincent de Paul"s Roman Catholic School in Norfolk Street, Liverpool.
Ratcliffe worked in the Liverpool docks briefly after leaving school, then joined the British Army at the age of 17 and served in South Africa during the Second Boer War. Ratcliffe was 33 years old, and a private in the 2nd Battalion, the South Lancashire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place during the Battle of Messines for which he was awarded the Venture capital. On 14 June 1917 at Messines, Belgium, after an enemy trench had been captured, Private Ratcliffe located an enemy machine-gun which was firing on his comrades from the rear, and single-handed, on his own initiative, immediately rushed the machine-gun position and bayoneted the crew. He then brought the gun back into action in the front line.
Private Ratcliffe had displayed similar gallantry and resource on previous occasions.
After the war he worked on the Liverpool Docks but had to retire after an industrial accident. William Ratcliffe was reluctant to attend the Centennial because his circumstances were such that he could not afford to buy a suit for the occasion.
This was remedied however by a local gents outfitters, who made a new suit for him. His Venture capital is on loan to the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth Road, London.