Hi sstanger1
Thank you very much for your reply. I was most interested to read your comment that people came to Canada to enlist - that's very interesting. The only clue I have that he might have lived in Gleichen prior to WW1 is that his name appears in the Roll of Honor for Gleichen, published in the local history publication "The Gleichen call : a history of Gleichen and surrounding areas, 1877-1968"
http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=3540041&qryID=d2...He is recorded as enlisting in 1915.
I will keep looking for an obituary but have yet to locate one. Any suggestions about where to look would be appreciated.
Yes, I too thought he may have lived with his sister in England, however I have located her in the 1911 England Census and he is not living with her or in the immediate vicinity at that time. I could find no close matches for William in the England 1911 Census at all.
He may have been living and working as an agricultural labourer in his home county, Cavan, in Ireland in 1911, but William Nixon is not an uncommon name there so I'm not sure if I have found the right person or not.
Thank you again for your help and suggestions. I will keep searching.
Anita