William Henry Parsonage was born on 26 October 1911 at
65 St Peters Street, St Helens, Lancashire. He was the son of
Herbert Harold Parsonage and
Esther Ann Morris. He was baptised at
St Thomas, Westfield Street, St Helens, Lancashire. According to his wife Elsie he moved to Bolton with his family when he was five years old. William Henry Parsonage lived on 26 October 1925 at
9 Oldham Street, Bolton, Lancashire. Circa 1930 at
Bolton, Lancashire, William Henry Parsonage worked in a mill. In 1936 William Henry Parsonage started work on the railway. He worked as a Porter at Rainford Junction, Prescot, and Shaw Street, St Helens. He became a goods guard and later a passenger guard. He was reputed to have a large appetite. When he was a lodger on Bickerstaffe Street he was served with Hotpot in a washing up bowl to see if he could eat it all and he could. In the canteen at Sutton Oak Sheds where he met his wife Elsie he was challenged to eat a large number of poached eggs and the canteen staff had to give up before he did for fear of running out of eggs to feed the other men. He began military service on 13 June 1940; He did not serve in the regular forces during the war as he was in a protected occupation so he served in the Home Guard. He ended military service on 31 December 1944. He married
Elsie Chaulk, daughter of
Henry Chaulk and
Elizabeth Ann Hardman, on 23 February 1952 at
Sutton Road Methodist Church, St Helens, Lancashire, and the ceremony was witnessed by
Ellen Parkinson and
Oliver Parsonage; At the time of the marriage William Henry was a Railway Goods Guard living at 87 Liverpool Road, St Helens and Elsie was a canteen assistant living at 6 Station Road, St Helens. In March 1972 at
St Helens, Lancashire, William Henry Parsonage retired from the railway, taking early retirement. He was awarded a certificate of service and presented with chiming mantle clock for his 36 years service. He died on 13 May 1974 at
Royal Infirmary, Liverpool, Lancashire, at age 62; Cause of death renal failure, myelosclerosis. He was cremated on 16 May 1974 at
St Helens Crematorium, Lancashire.