WILLIAM GAMMELL was the 5th son of James Gammell of Ardiffery and his wife Sydney Holmes. He was born at Beech Hill Donoughmore, Co. Down, but while still an infant his parents moved to Edinburgh. We do not know where he was educated, as he is the only one of James' sons not to go to Edinburgh Academy. Whether this was because he was a delicate child, or for some other reason, we do not know, but neither his health or his educational achievements prevented him from following the family tradition of going into the Army. He was duly gazetted Ensign on March 12th 1852 in the 39th Foot (The Dorset Regiment), and spent no less than fifteen years with that regiment - an unusual happening in those days, and possibly indicating that he had little ambition, as is borne out by the fact that he never achieved higher rank than Captain.

In the late 1860s he resigned from his regiment to join the Transport Commissariat, possibly with a view to increasing his income. He was an Assistant Commissary in London in 1870, and in 1873 went to China, still with the Commissariat, and remained there until 1877. On his return to this country at the beginning of 1878 he went on Retired Pay.

On May 24th 1881 he was married at the Strand Registry Office in London to a widow CAROLINE BRENNAN, the daughter of a certain George Skipp. At the time of his marriage William was residing at 10 Norfolk Street, Strand, and evidently he and his wife remained there, as it was at this address that he died on March 20th 1882, at the early age of 48, and less than a year after he was married. His wife survived him only by four years, dying of cancer in London on November 30th 1886, at the age of 46. On Caroline's death certificate, William is recorded as being late of the 87th Regiment, although other information is that he remained with the 39th throughout his whole Army career.