Berry was born in
Merthyr Tydfil in
Wales, the second of three sons of Mary Ann (Rowe) and John Mathias Berry. Berry started his working life as a
journalist and established his own paper,
Advertising World, in 1901. Berry made his fortune with the publication of the
First World War magazine
The War Illustrated, which at its peak had a circulation of 750,000. In partnership with his younger brother,
Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley (the elder brother was
Seymour Berry, 1st Baron Buckland), he purchased
The Sunday Times in 1915 and was its
editor-in-chief until 1937. In 1919 the pair also purchased the
Financial Times. In 1924 the Berry brothers and
Sir Edward Iliffe set up
Allied Newspapers and purchased the
Daily Dispatch, the
Manchester Evening Chronicle, the
Sunday Chronicle, the
Sunday News, and the
Sunday Graphic, as well as a string of other newspapers across the country. In
Cardiff they merged four newspapers into the
Western Mail. In 1927 they purchased
The Daily Telegraph from the 2nd
Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham, with William Berry becoming its editor-in-chief. In 1937 they purchased its rival,
The Morning Post. In 1926, the Berry brothers/Allied Newspapers purchased
Amalgamated Press (AP), which had been started by
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, in 1901 (Harmsworth had died in 1922). Berry bought out his partners in 1937 and amalgamated
The Morning Post with
The Daily Telegraph, with himself as chairman and editor-in-chief. His sons
Seymour, the 2nd Viscount, and subsequently
Michael, continued to run the newspaper until 1986; in addition, Seymour was Vice Chairman of Amalgamated Press from 1942 to 1959 (when AP was acquired by the
Mirror Group). He provided financial assistance to Sir
Winston Churchill after the
Second World War. He and ten other wealthy well-wishers each donated £5,000 to the Churchills, allowing them to keep their home,
Chartwell, on the condition that it would be presented to the nation upon their deaths. ==Honours==