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.

Biography Oakley was born on 31 August 1857 at 5 Hanover Street, Aberdeen, Scotland, and emigrated to the United States in April 1880. He enlisted in the Navy at Boston in November 1880"United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XG9T-J28 : 5 December 2014) and was sent to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the U.S.S. Marblehead as a gunner's mate second class. He was later promoted to gunner's mate first class.

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.

Medal of Honor citation

See also

List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish–American War List of foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients

References