by his father, as he was the only other surviving member of the family. The Dowager Countess learns of his situation and tells the doctor that William had an embarrassing skin condition in order to keep him from being drafted. He was further humiliated after being handed a white feather at a benefit concert held in the Crawley mansion. After being informed that this story was untrue by Isobel Crawley, the doctor corrected the report to the War Department, and William is drafted shortly thereafter. William asked Daisy if she would give him a photo that he could carry with him. Daisy was worried about being William's sweetheart but Mrs Patmore urged her not to send him to the front with a broken heart, saying that if she refused, he would never return. Fearing for his safety, Lord Grantham had him assigned to Matthew Crawley's battalion to be his batman. During the Battle of Amiens, he threw himself in front of Matthew to shield him from a shell explosion and both men were seriously wounded. He was hospitalised in Leeds as Downton, then used as a convalescent home, was only for officers, but William's father could not afford to leave his farm or repeatedly travel to and fro to visit. After failing to persuade Dr Clarkson to "bend the rules", a furious Violet manages to pull some strings to have William sent back to Downton, where he was cared for by Lady Edith. After being told he would not make it, William proposes to Daisy and tells her that he wants to marry her, not just out of love, but also to secure her a widow's pension so that she would be taken care of. Violet convinces the local parish vicar to officiate the bedside wedding ceremony and attends along with Lady Edith and the entire staff present. He dies hours later. Later on, his father and Daisy become quite close. Alfred Nugent Alfred Nugent (played by Matt Milne) was the new footman brought on to replace William Mason and is introduced in series three. His aunt is Sarah O'Brien, who brings him forward as a candidate for the empty post based on his previous experience as a waiter at a hotel. He is extremely tall, which Carson comments is almost too much, even though height is a desirable aspect for a footman. Almost immediately, Daisy Mason falls head-over-heels in