Captain, Sudan Defence Force
Born: June 13th 1917
Died: January 29th 1944
Age at Death: 26
Died on active service, January 29th 1944
Boxing 8 1934-1935
William was born on 13 June 1917 to Ernest Phillips, a coal merchant, and his wife Ursula (née Nunns), of Great Amwell, Hertfordshire. His grandfather on his father’s side, also called William, was a well-known social reformer who embraced causes as diverse as Italian democracy, free education, environmental protection and bandstands in public parks.
After leaving the College, where he was a member of the Boxing VIII, William opted for a life of extraordinary adventure. In north-eastern Africa, he worked as a bodyguard to Haile Selassie when the Ethiopian Emperor returned to his country with British military support in 1941, ejecting the Italians, and served as a bimbashi (major) in the Sudan Defence Force. He later joined Force 133 of the Special Operations Executive, charged with diverting German forces from the defence of France ahead of the Allied invasion in June 1944 by fooling Hitler into believing in a planned invasion of Greece. He died on this mission in January 1944 in unknown circumstances, and is buried at the Phaleron War Cemetery