William Oakley (Medal of Honor)
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Wivenhoe, Essex, England
United States of AmericaWilliam Oakley | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1857 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | November 22, 1918 (aged 61) Wivenhoe, Essex, England |
| Buried | Wivenhoe, Essex, England |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Navy |
| Rank | Gunner's Mate First Class |
| Unit | U.S.S. Marblehead |
| Battles / wars | Spanish–American War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Other work |  Medal of Honor |
William Oakley (31 August 1857 – 22 November 1918) was a gunner's mate second class serving in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War who received the Medal of Honor for bravery.
Oakley was born on 31 August 1857 at 5 Hanover Street, Aberdeen, Scotland,[1] and emigrated to the United States in April 1880. He enlisted in the Navy at Boston in November 1880[2] and was sent to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the U.S.S. Marblehead as a gunner's mate second class.[3] He was later promoted to gunner's mate first class.[4][5]
He returned to England after 1911 as a US Navy pensioner and died 22 November 1918 in Wivenhoe, Essex, England. He was buried in the Old Cemetery (grave reference: section B-2-65).
In 2018 the US government erected a headstone at his grave which had previously been unmarked.
