B/65622 Rifleman William Ernest Woodhouse was born on 29 July 1922 in Oshawa, Ontario, the son of Ernest Woodhouse and  Agnes Dalgleish. He had a younger brother Albert and a sister Gladys. Woodhouse left school at the age of 16.

He married June Anne Clement of Oshawa on 22 August 1942 in Oshawa, Ontario.

Woodhouse worked as a paint mixer at General Motors before he enlisted in Toronto with the 3rd Battalion of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada on 6 June 1942. He had been serving with the 11th Reserve Tank Battalion since 1937. He trained at Camp Niagara in Ontario, Debert Camp in New Brunswick, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

He arrived in the United Kingdom on 20 September 1943 and was posted to the 1st Battalion, The Queen’s Own Rifles on 30 October 1943. He embarked on a ship for France on 3 June 1944.

Woodhouse was killed in action during the battle for Le Mesnil Patry on 11 June 1944 and is buried in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference III. B. 13.