Mr William Peter Mayo was born in Limehouse, London, England in mid-1884.

He was the son of Peter Mayo (1856-1919), a woodcutter, and Rose Prudence Onions (1865-1937), both London-natives who had married on 18 May 1884 in St James The Great Church, Bethnal Green.

One of a reported seventeen children, William's known siblings were: Rosina Martha (1888-1890), Eliza Elizabeth (1890-1892), Frederick John (1893-1895), Ada (b. 1898), George Arthur (b. 1899), twins Charles Thomas (b. 1901) and Samuel Charles (1901-1901), Thomas (b. 1903), Alice Lydia (1908-1908) and Alice Florence (b. 1910).

He and his family appear on the 1891 census living at 75 Laurel Street, Limehouse; by the time of the 1901 census a 17-year-old William was still living with his family, then at 29 Warmington Street, West Ham, Essex. His father was still described as a wood chopper and William as a trimmer.

William was married in Southampton in late-1909 to Eliza Ford (b. 17 March 1888 in Southampton) and their son William James was born on 25 July 1910. 

On the 1911 census William and his family were living at the Post Office, 4 Cable Street, Northam Road, Southampton and he was listed as a fireman.

When he signed-on to the Titanic on 6 April 1912 Mayo gave his address as 24 Cable Street, Southampton and gave his previous ship as the Oruba; as a fireman he could expect monthly wages of £6, 10s per month.

William Mayo died in the sinking; body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett (#177) and was buried at sea.

William's wife Eliza had been pregnant at the time of the disaster and weeks later gave birth to a daughter on 5 May 1912 named Evelyn who lived just over a day. The following notice appeared in the Southern Daily Echo on 9 May 1912:

MAYO, William; of 24 Cable St., Northam dearly loved husband of Eliza Mayo. Sadly missed by his wife and child. Also dear little Evelyn, daughter of the above, who died May 6th 1912, aged 28 hours.

William is remembered on the Titanic memorial board which was formerly at St. Augustine's Church, Southampton; it is now in the safekeeping of the Southampton Maritime Museum.

His widow Eliza remarried in 1920 to Albert Manger (b. 22 January 1881), a brewer's labourer. They had no children and during the 1930s lived in Romsey. Around that time the couple changed their surname from Manger to Major. Widowed in 1950, Eliza returned to Southampton where she died on 22 May 1972. 

William's son William later worked as a lorry driver and was married in Southampton in 1932 to Laura Evelyn Deacon (b. 7 August 1909); they had no children. William later signed up to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and served during WWII and was killed in action on 7 April 1944. He is buried in Caserta War Cemetery, Italy.