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Hill-A-Pte-2537 (redirected from Hill A Pte 2537)

Page history last edited by Lenore Frost 8 years, 9 months ago

Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918

 

Pte Arthur Hill, aged 16, taken in Melbourne in c 1916.

(Photo courtesy of Louise Hill-Coleman)

 

Hill A     Pte    2537    Arthur               29 Inf Bn    18  16    Farm labourer    Single    Wes       

Address:    Moonee Ponds, Athol St, 178   

Next of Kin:    Hill, Thomas, Mrs, mother, 178 Athol St, Moonee Ponds   

Enlisted:    15 Nov 1915       

Embarked:     A68 Anchises 14 Mar 1916  

Prior service:  Area 58B Ascot Vale Senior Cadets

 

Relatives on Active Service:

Hill-T-Pte-3798  father

 

Private Arthur Hill

By Lenore Frost

 

A certain amount of connivance from the authorities allowed a boy of barely 16 years to embark for active service in March 1916.

 

His birth registered in Carlton in February 1900, Arthur was the child of teenage parents Edith Florence Wood and Thomas Hill.  By the time of the outbreak of the war in 1914 the small family was living in Athol Street, Moonee Ponds.  In the Electoral Roll that year Thomas’ occupation was described as 'Tobacco worker'. 

 

Still a young man of only 33, Thomas Hill was keen to join the AIF.   He had apparently tried prior to being accepted in July 1915, having been rejected on account of height.  He was a diminutive 5 feet 3½ inches and ten stone in weight.  Scruples on the part of the army as to height having been overcome, Thomas was accepted and embarked with the 6 Infantry Battalion on the Ceramic on 23 November 1915.

 

Possibly imbued with some of his father’s enthusiasm, Arthur presented himself for inspection at a Melbourne recruiting office only a week before his father sailed, on 15 November 1915.  Arthur was also a diminutive lad, 5 feet 3 inches in height and weighing only nine stone 2 pounds. 

 

Arthur Hill in the cadet  uniform of the 58th area, circa 1913.

The cord on his shoulder indicates he was a bugler.

  (Photo courtesy of Louise Hill-Coleman.)

 

Despite claiming to be 18 years and 1 month, the authorities on duty that day did not require Arthur to produce permission of both his parents to enlist as was usual for anyone under 20 years of age.  They likewise accepted his statement that he had not had any prior military training due to being in an ‘Exempt area’.  This was later annotated ‘58B’, which was the Ascot Vale section of the 58 Battalion Citizens Military Force area, and certainly not exempt.  Any CMF person taking recruits in Melbourne would have known that Moonee Ponds was not an exempt area, so again a blind eye was turned to correct procedure.  The photo above confirms that Arthur had been training with the 58th Area cadets.

 

While in camp at Royal Park he was admitted to hospital with tonsillitis, and this triggered further military medical inspection.   Arthur was evidently going through a growth spurt, and a doctor found him to be 5 feet 4¼ inches in height, 16 years and four months old, and “of insufficient physique for active service”.  This note was dated 27 July 1916.  However, he was subsequently examined by Colonel Charles Ryan, AMC, who had a more robust view, found Arthur to be “A very muscular strong young fellow fit for general service”.

 

Although Thomas Hill was not in a convenient position to do anything about his 15 year old son enlisting he could have written to the army authorities, and there is nothing on Arthur’s record to indicate that Edith took any steps to prevent her son remaining in the army, and embarking with the 29 Infantry Battalion in March 1916.

 

Arthur’s youthful enthusiasm was not always able to sustain him, and his record makes it clear that he struggled with Army discipline. His small physique was probably a factor, as well as his youth.  On 19 April 1916 at Tel-el-Kebir he was charged with ‘disobeying orders in that he failed to report on light duty parade as ordered'.  He was sentenced to 7 days’ Field Punishment.  Again on 14 June 1916  while at sea, travelling from Egypt to England, he was charged with ‘failing to appear at place of parade appointed by his Officer Commanding in that he failed to appear at morning parade at 10.30 pm'.  He was awarded 7 days CC (Confined to Camp).  On 18 June 1916 he was charged with 'neglect after sounding retreat, failed to sound any further calls on 18/6/16'.  He received 10 days CC.

 

On 27 June 1916 at Lark Hill Camp he was charged with multiple offences:

  • Did not fall in at the time appointed for parade 0615
  • Disobedience of a lawful command given by an NCO
  • Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline
  • Absent from 9.30 am parade

 

For these offences he was given 18 days’ detention, but it was evidently not a deterrent, because on 14 July 1916 he was charged with disobeying a lawful command and was given a further 7 days’ detention.

 

Having wasted a considerable part of his training period in detention, Arthur was dispatched to France with his unit on 5 September 1916. The reinforcements caught up with their Battalion at Strazelle on 15 October where it was in comfortable billets after having been marched with full kit from Armentieres on the previous day. The Unit Diary of 29 Battalion describes the preparations for moving into the front line, and the very bad conditions awaiting them:

 

On the following day the Battalion,

 

‘left STRAZELLE at midnight per march route to BAILLEUL. At BAILLEUL on the 17th the men were entrained early in the morning for LONGPRE, which was reached in the evening.  After detraining, marched with full kits and blankets to BUSSUS.  This was a particularly trying march as all ranks were very tired before commencing owing to the absence of sleep the previous night and the long train journey.  In addition heavy rain fell during the march which made the roads very heavy and many men fell out en route.

 

18 October  ‘Coy Parades.  Inspection arms, equipment and gas helmets.  Each Coy was addressed by the CO.

A very pretty French wedding was celebrated in the local church which was well attended by all ranks.  Rice in abundance was thrown at the happy couple.  The latter incident will well be remembered owing to a subsequent Orderly room case in connection with the disappearance of rice from the Q.M Store'.

 

19 OctoberCoy Parades.  Physical Training and Bayonet Fighting.  Inspection arms, equipment and gas helmets.

Conscription Vote.  All ranks voted “Yes” or “No” in connection with the Australian election.  Weather showery’.

 

During the voting Arthur would have been a mere interested spectator, as he would not reach voting age for a further five years.

 

20 October ‘Left BUSSUS for march route to main AMIENS Road and here embussed in motor lorries and moved via FLEXICOURT and AMIENS to BUIRE-SUR-ANCRE, and billeted for the night.  Weather.  Frosty and cold wind’.

 

21 October ‘Marched in marching order to MAMETZ WOOD and bivouacked.  There was very little material available with which to construct shelters and a very shivering night was spent.  Rain had fallen heavily and the roads, owing mainly to the continuous extremely heavy traffic of wheeled and mule transport were in a very bad state’.

 

The ruined village of Flers, on the Somme, in the vicinity of which the Australian troops

spent the winter of 1916 and 1917. Australian War Memorial Collection.

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/A02443

 

22 October  ‘A & B Coys went forward into front line in front of FLERS and C and D Coys went into CREST TRENCH in support – the Bn relieving English troops in the sector. Rain continued and the trenches were in an awful condition.  The communication trench (TRENCH ALLEY) will long be remembered, as it was knee deep in mud, and it took the front line Coys 5 hours to reach the front line. Both the enemy’s and our own artillery was very active at night.  The English troops who had had some very heavy fighting were very glad to be relieved.

 

Map of Entrenchments, Bezantin Ridge—Flers—Gueudecourt, September, 1916

Crest Trench, where the 29 Inf Bn was engaged in late October, is located in the criss-cross pattern of trenches

and roads to the east of High Wood, in the bottom left corner of the map.  The village of Flers is

near the centre of the map.  (Source: James: Maories in the Great War.)  

 

23 October   ‘At Dawn signs of the recent heavy fighting were plainly to be seen as enemy dead, as well as English, were thickly scattered over the whole area.  Rations and water did not arrive – the only water available was from shell holes. Owing to a very heavy enemy bombardment it was found necessary to remove the bulk of the front line garrison to the support line in the afternoon – the garrison returning at dusk. Heavy rain continued and the conditions were very trying indeed’.  

 

24 October  ‘A and B were relieved in the front line by 31st Bn and the whole BN concentrated in CREST TRENCH in the vicinity of HIGH WOOD to be ready for the attack which it was found necessary to postpone owing to the very bad weather conditions’.

 

25 October Rations & water did not arrive until late in the day and latter was almost undrinkable owing to being in new petrol tins. BN remained in this position performing all necessary fatigues such as carrying parties and digging a trench in connection with laying a cable to the advanced BN HQ. Enemy artillery fire was almost continuous while we held this position and our casualties were numerous.  Weather conditions did not improve and the rain was practically continuous.  Rations (dry only) and water arrived regularly from 25th inst.

 

31 October  ‘Relief took place – the 7th Bde relieving the 8th Bde.  Bn bivouaced vicinity MAMETZ’.

 

No entries were made in the unit diary for the period between 25 October and 31 October, and one presumes that there was nothing further to report beyond the heavy artillery fire, continuous rain, difficulties getting water and rations,  and  the numerous casualties. It was a brutal introduction to the realities of war. 

 

Arthur was killed in action on 27 October 1916, after only five days in the front line.  He was four months short of his 17th birthday.  Presumably they couldn’t identify his body, or perhaps never found him, for he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, his parents’ only child.

 

The commemorative plaque for Arthur Hill, found amongst his father's

things after Thomas died. (Courtesy of Louise Hill-Coleman.)

 

The scroll which accompanied the commemorative plaque.  Courtesy of Louise Hill-Coleman.

 

Arthur Hill's Victory medal, courtesy of Louise Hill-Coleman.

 

Sources

National Archives of Australia B2455 Service Record

Australian War Memorial – Unit diary, 29 Infantry Battalion, October 1916 Item No 23/46/15 http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM4/23/AWM4-23-46-15.pdf

Cowan, James.  The Maoris in the Great War: A History of The New Zealand Native Contingent and Pioneer Battalion: Gallipoli, 1915, France and Flanders, 1916-1918.   1926, Auckland  The New Zealand Electronic Text Centre

 

"Arthur was the son of my grandfathers first marriage and for some reason, maybe due to grief at losing him at such a young age (only 16) he never told my father about him. It was only when clearing out the house my dad found a "death penny" with Arthur's name on it and the sad tale was unwoven".   Louise Hill-Coleman.

 

Mentioned in this publication:

Former Area 58B (Ascot Vale) Senior Cadet Essendon Gazette 8 Nov 1917

 

Date of Death: 27/10/1916

CWGC: "Son of Thomas Hill, of 14, Glover St., South Melbourne. Born at Port Melbourne".

VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL

 

 

War Service Commemorated

Moonee Ponds West State School

Anzac Honoured Dead 27 Oct 1916

Essendon Gazette Roll of Honour killed

 

Died on Service

 

HILL.-Killed in action in France, 27th October,
1916, Bugler Arthur Hill, beloved and only son
of Mr and Mrs. T. Hill (on active service), aged  
16 years and 8 months; of 178 Athol street,
Moonee Ponds.
Only a lad, but did a man's duty.                                              
The Argus 1 December 1916
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1620556

HILL.-Killed in action, Bugler Arthur Hill,
beloved and only son of Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Hill, also beloved grandson of Mr.
and Mrs, Wood. Broadmeadows (late Port
Melbourne), aged 16 years 8 months. 178
Athol street, Moonee Ponds.
A lad, but did a man's duty, 
-(Inserted by his loving mother.) 
The Argus 2 December 1916
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1629925

 

In Memoriam

 

HILL.-In sad but proud remembrance of our dear      

son and only child, Private Arthur Hill, killed in

action 27th October, 1916.

Only a soldier boy hearing the call,  

Facing his duty and giving his all    

One of earth's brightest, and one of the best:    

Nobly his duty done, he is at rest

Our brave boy.

-(Inserted by his loving mother and father, on

active service.)

The Argus, 27 October 1917

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1659082


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