Born August 23, 1845, and christened at Saint Mary Magdalene, Woolwich, Kent on November 16, 1845. His occupation was a printer. (By the time of the 1901 census, he was described as a 'compositor' earning a salary of $675).

Also, according to the 1901 Canada census, he and his sister Sophia emigrated to Canada in 1860. (Their father, Colin and the remainder of the family had immigrated in 1857, and so the 1860 date may have been an approximation.)

William and his brother Thomas Colin Binks were both volunteers in the PERTH INFANTRY COMPANY. Each were awarded the General Service Medal of 1866-70 which was issued to all participants in the conflict that is now referred to as The Fenian Raids and later in 1870 to the Red River affair.

Fenian raids

The Fenian raids were attacks by members of the Fenian Brotherhood based in the United States on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada in order to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland, between 1866 and 1871. Most of the raids were successfully repelled by British forces and local militias. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were torn between loyalty to their new home and sympathy for the aims of the Fenians.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenian_raids

William married Isabella Lunam Rodger* (born August 8, 1849 in Perth, Ontario or Middleville, Ontario) on August 8, 1870 in Perth, Ontario.

Perth Courier, August 12, 1870

Binks-Rodgers—Married, at the residence of the bride’s father on Monday, August 8,
by the Rev. Mr. Bain, Mr. Wm. J. Binks, printer, to Isabella Lunam (Rodgers), only daughter
of Mr. John Rodgers, all of Perth.

He came to Perth, ON, Canada with his family and first started to work as an apprentice to a printer named George L. Walker. When he first came to Ottawa, ON, Canada from Perth he started to work for the firm of MacLean Rogers, whose office was situated on the South side of Wellington Street, between Bank and O'Connor Streets. This firm had the contract for Government printing and was later absorbed by the Government Printing Bureau. In the early years when he lived at 307 Nepean Street, he had twelve cows and pastured them in a field in the block, which is now bounded by Lyon, Cooper, Kent and Somerset Streets. He retired from the Printing Bureau in 1918.

He died on November 19, 1920 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and was buried at the family plot at Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa Section A Range 6 Grave 36 Lot 45 SE Sec 22.

Isabella had died some years earlier of consumption on June 7, 1889 in Ottawa, and was buried at the same cemetery.

Perth Courier, June 21, 1889

Binks—Died, at Rosetta, Lanark Township, of consumption on the 7^th June, Isabella Truman Rogers Binks*,
wife of Mr. William Binks, formerly of Perth, aged 39