William Earnest Donnelly (27 December 1900 – 15 September 1975) was a New Zealander who became a teacher and General Secretary of the Students’ Christian Movement in New Zealand, in the early 1930s and early 40s. He volunteered for service in Fiji and he served as principal of the Methodist Church's Toorak Boys' High School in Suva. In late 1942, the Pacific Campaign of World War II was at its peak and the Colonial Authority was issued a command that all urban schools should close and surrender their compounds for use as military camps for forces fighting the Japanese threat.