shanley had two brothers and prior to the first world war, he worked as an attendant at the whittingham asylum. in may 1915, 9 months after britain's entry into the first world war, shanley enlisted as a private in the gordon highlanders. he was posted to the western front in june 1916 and one month later was evacuated back to britain with a gunshot wound to the right knee. shanley returned to the front in april 1917 and received multiple gunshot wounds to the back in the ypres salient on 3 july 1917. he died of his wounds the following day at the 3rd canadian casualty clearing station, remy farm and was buried in lijssenthoek military cemetery.