William Patrick Hedges was the son of Henry James and Alice Maud Hedges and husband of Phyllis Mable Hedges of Osney, Oxfordshire.He served with the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion Ox and Bucks Light infantry and took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944.

Pte Hedges died on 7 June 1944, aged 30 years, as the battalion attempted to liberate Escoville from German occupation. He is now buried in the churchyard at Periers-en-Auge, Calvados, France. 

Editor's Note: Pte Hedge's burial is the only Commonwealth forces war grave in the cemetery. The headstone on his grave states that he was 32 years old but it appears that he was probably aged 30 at the time of his death.