Pte 13645 Samuel Hill

The family is found on the 1891 Census living at 4 Flemings Yard, Wigan. His father, James, 29, is a coal pit labourer, his mother, Margaret, is 28. Their children are shown as: Ada aged 7, Samuel 6, and Bertie is 2.   

His sister Ada married Peter Bradford in 1909 and in 1911 was living at 32 Wakefield St, Warrington. 

 

Sam enlisted on 27th/28th August 1914 as Private 13645, joining the 4th Battalon of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. He disembarked in France on 01st May 1915.

 

At some point, possibly after he had been wounded, he was transferred to the 17th Battalion K.L.R. and subsequently to the 18th Battalion K.L.R.

 

Sam died of wounds at No.2 Casualty Clearing Station on the 01^st August, 1917, aged 33. 

It is likely that he received his wounds during the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele):  

18^th Battalion Diary

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18^th Battalion was part of 21^st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21^st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18^th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2^nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21^st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90^th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2^nd Lieutenant Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken.  Not far away from this action,  an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18^th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men wounded. They were relieved on the 2^nd August.

His death was reported in the Warrington Guardian:

PRIVATE SAMUEL HILL

Private Samuel Hill, the King's (Liverpool Regiment), son of Mrs Hill, a widow, living at 36 Lythgoes-Lane, Warrington, died on August 1st from wounds received in action. He was 33 years of age, and joined the Army at the outbreak of war. He was wounded about nine months ago, and had been back at the front only about nine weeks when he received the injuries which caused his death. A chaplain at the front, Captain N.H. McGillivsay, in a letter to Mrs Hill, informed her that her son was in hospital suffering from severe wounds in the abdomen. Later came the news of his death. 

Private Hill was employed by the Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Company for 15 years. He was educated at various schools including St. Ann's, Silver-street, the National School,(Church street) and for a time in Wigan. His father, who died about 12 years ago, was well known as a member of the band at Wycliffe Congregational Church.  

Sam now rests at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium.

During the First World War, the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the Allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the Front, but out of the extreme range of most German field artillery, it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. The cemetery was first used by the French 15th Hopital D'Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces.

From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places.

The cemetery contains 9,901 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 24 being unidentified. There are 883 war graves of other nationalities, mostly French and German, 11 of these are unidentified. There is 1 Non World War burial here.

The only concentration burials were 24 added to Plot XXXI in 1920 from isolated positions near Poperinghe and 17 added to Plot XXXII from St. Denijs Churchyard in 1981.

Eight of the headstones are Special Memorials to men known to be buried in this cemetery, these are located together alongside Plot 32 near the Stone of Remembrance.

The cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, is the second largest Commonwealth cemetery in Belgium.

His death from his wounds was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 06th September 1917

Sam earned his three medals.

 

His mother Margaret received his Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £14.  The pension card, giving her address as 9 Back Crossley Street, Warrington, shows that a pension of 10/- a week was awarded from June 1918.

His parents were living at 71 Wakefield Street when they gave their details to CWGC.

His mother died in the March quarter of 1931 aged 66. 

 

Sadly, Sam has not been found on any memorial.