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Son of Edward Quintrell and Annis Grace Quintrell nee Waters of Cross Roads, Moonta, SA. Brother of Percy Quintrell who returned to Australia on 23 June 1919 having served with the 3rd Tunnelling Company.

Commenced return to Australia on 4 June 1919 aboard HT Mahia disembarking on 17 July 1919 at Melbourne for onward travel to Adelaide

Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

On 13 January 1921 Staley married Gladys Irene Pearl Jacka in the Salvation Army Citadel, Adelaide, SA.

Stanley QUINTRELL was the 4th child born to Edward (1857 -1914) and Annie Grace (nee Watters)(1859 – 1937) Quintrell on the 23RD March 1889 at Cross Roads, near Moonta, South Australia.

Edward and Annie married on 26th September 1881 at the residence of Catherine Quintrell, Cross Roads, Near Moonta.

There were 10 children to this marriage:

Joseph Henry Quintrell               (1882 – 1899)

Edward Quintrell                           (1885 – 1928)

Richard Ernest Quintrell             (1886 – 1945)

Stanley Quintrell                           (1889 – 1957)

Percy Quintrell                               (1891 – 1919) AIF S/N 5813

Ruby Quintrell                                (1893 – 1970)

Edith Venetta Quintrell                (1896 – 1968)

Albert Roy Quintrell                      (1899 – 1987)

Leonard Quintrell                          (1902 – 1976)

Ivy Quintrell                                     (Details unknown)

Stanley married Gladys Irene Pearl Jacka (1898 – 1963) at the Salvation Army Citadel, Adelaide on 13 January 1921.

There were 2 Children to this marriage:

Glen Morris Quintrell    (1922 – 1991)

Donald Richard Quintrell (1931 – 1968)

In 1924 he was working as a linesman and the couple resided at 10 Tarragon Street, Mile End.

In 1939 he was a labourer at North Yelta and in 1941 at Whyalla.  Three years later illness forced his retirement and in 1947 was listed at Gardiner Street, Moonta.

Stanley Quintrell passed away suddenly on 31 October, 1957 aged 68 years at Moonta.  Interment took place the next day in the East 20 portion of Moonta Cemetery in plot 29 with Rev. Smith officiating and arrangements by Skinner Funeral Directors.  The following Obituary was published in the: Moonta People's Weekly, 14 November 1957:

 OBITUARY Mr Stanley Quintrell, a former Cross Roads and Broken Hill resident, passed away suddenly at his residence on Thursday, October 31, 1957. Although in an indifferent state of health during the latter years, his passing came as a great shock to his many friends & family. Born at Moonta in 1889 he was educated at the Moonta primary and Burke Ward (Broken Hill) schools, and prior to his enlistment in the first A.I.F. he was an employee of the Moonta and Wallaroo Mining Co. He served in the Second Tunnelling Coy. with the first A.I.F. in Belgium and France, where he was once wounded and severely burnt with mustard gas. Another brother, Perce, who served in the same company, tragically predeceased him at the age of 28 years in 1919. On his return from active service he served for a time as a linesman with the P.M.G. Dept at various metropolitan centres, and was engaged in the construction of the undersea cable from Kangaroo Island to the mainland. In 1921 he married Gladys Irene Jacka, daughter of the late Edward John Jacka, of East Moonta. Prior to his retirement due to illness in 1944, he was employed as a guard at the B.H.P. Coy's. shipyards at Whyalla. A keen gardener during his years of retirement, he prided himself on his successful growing of the "Sturt's Desert Pea." He is survived by his wife and two sons, Glen (B.H.A.S. Pty. Ltd.) and Don (P.M.G. Dept.), Port Pirie, also two brothers and two sisters, namely, Bert (Wallaroo), Len (Broken Hill), Ruby (Mrs W. Lanyon) Wallaroo, and Ede (Mrs E Magor) Broken Hill.

Military Service:

Stanley enlisted at the recruiting depot in Kadina, S.A. he was the first Quintrell brother to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination on 13 April, 1916.  Forms of Attestation describe him as single, twenty-seven years old, standing 169cms (5ft 6½ins) tall, weighing 68kgs (150lbs) with a chest expansion of 83-89cms (32½-35ins) having a fair complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair.  Methodist was his faith.  Next-of-kin nominated was his mother Mrs Annie Grace Quintrell of Cross Roads, Moonta, S.A.  The Oath of Enlistment was signed and taken the same day.

Basic training commenced with A Coy, 2nd Depot Battalion from 1 May, 1916 until May 16. 

He was then moved to the Base Engineers to 26 June.  The following day was transferred to the training camp of the Tunnelling Company at Seymour, Victoria until transferred sick to the hospital at Langwarrin where he remained a patient until discharged on 20 January, 1917 back to Seymour camp.  Was placed with the February, 1917 Reinforcements to the Tunnelling Companies on February 27 and continued training until May 10. 

In preparation for departure Military Authorities noted his Will was held with them.  His rank was Sapper with the regimental number 7065.

The transport HMAT A9 Shropshire embarked from Melbourne, Vic on May 11, 1917 with 168 members of the February Reinforcements on board.  Sapper Quintrell left Australian waters from Fremantle harbour and after crossing the Indian Ocean the ship docked at Durban, South Africa.  Next Port-of-call was Capetown to refuel about June 21, followed by another stopover at an unrecorded harbour would have completed the trip-sheet. After being at sea for 70 days the voyage terminated at Plymouth, England on July 19, 1917.  The three officers and 165 other ranks were detrained to Tidworth while two were hospitalised at Plymouth while the remainder marched into Nos 1 and 3 Details camp at Parkhouse.  The Reinforcements proceeded to France on 18 August, 1917 from Southampton arriving the next day at the Aust General Base Depot in Rouelles.

On 3 September, 1917 he marched out to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion which was an advanced section of the Base Depot that organised works near the lines and through duties, usually of ten days duration, would accustom the reinforcements to war conditions before being assigned to a company in the field. 

While serving there was wounded in action on 14 September, 1917 initially reported as a bomb fragment to his right knee and taken to the 1st Aust Field Ambulance then moved to the Casualty Clearing Station the next day.  On 24 September, 1917 entered the 83rd General Hospital in Boulogne and invalided to England being admitted to the Bevan Military Hospital in Sandgate the following day diagnosed with gunshot wound right knee.

Base Records regretted to advise his mother on 5 October, 1917 that it was reported that Sapper had been wounded in action on 14 September and further information was sent of his admittance to the Bevan Military Hospital, England on 24/9/17 suffering from a gunshot wound to his right knee.  His address for correspondence was also included.

On 10 October was transferred to the 3rd Aust Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford then discharged to furlough on October 13 and report to the No. 3 Command Depot at Hurdcott on October 27.

Back home in Moonta the mayor reported the following and published in the:

Yorke’s Peninsula Advertiser Friday October 26, 1917:

MOONTA TOWN COUNCIL – MAYOR’S REPORT

The mayor said he deeply regretted to intimate that further casualties to our soldiers had occurred.  Sapper Stanley Quintrell had been reported as wounded, and he sincerely hoped would speedily be restored to good health.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Article abridged
Sapper arrived as ordered and on October 28 the medical board classified him with B1a1 debility and again on 7 November with B1a2 debility and a week later on November 13 he was given B1a3 debility. 

His name was among those soldiers listed in the 346th Casualty List published in the:

Chronicle (Adelaide) Saturday November 3, 1917:

CASUALTY LISTS – SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LOSSES – 346th LIST

WOUNDED

7065. Spr. S. QUINTRELL, Moonta                                                                                                                                       Article abridged
On 20 November he was still B1a3 debility until 2 January, 1918 was then fitter to be classed with B3 debility being sent to the Overseas Training Depot at Deverill arriving two days later.

On 8 January, 1918 proceeded overseas from Southampton to France marching into the Aust General Base Depot at Rouelles then proceeded to the Aust Corps Depot at Caestre on March 11, 1918.  On 13 March was attached to the 2nd Tunnelling Company in the field and taken on strength two days later.  Heavy shelling occurred at Trecault and centres of Metz, Ytres Station and Royaucourt.

The Unit Diary of the 2nd Tunnelling Company recorded their arrival as follows:

“15/3/18   20 further reinforcements marched in from Aust Corps Depot. 

Enemy activity still intense, 60,000 gas shells fired on Corps front.”

In the weekly progress report of the 2nd Tunnelling Company for the week ending 20 March, 1918 men were working on Artillery Dugouts in hard chalk for the Corps Heavy Artillery but owning to the loss of 3 officers and 179 other ranks through gas all work was stopped and the section transferred to work in the Battle Zone.

Leave to Paris was granted and taken from 31 October, 1918 and returned to duty on 10 November, 1918.

The following day Peace was declared and the Tunnelling Companies remained on the front as part of the Army of Occupation assisting with rehabilitation of their districts by clearing roads and bridges of booby traps and delayed action mines left by the enemy.

Further leave from France was taken from 23 January to 3 February, 1919 and returned to duty on February 12.

Orders were received to report to the Aust Base Depot 1 and they marched out for England on 26 April, 1919 and arrived a day later at No. 2 Group camp to await their voyage home.

After demobilisation Sapper Quintrell embarked for Australia on 5 June, 1919 on board H.T. Mahia.  Base Records advised his mother on 2 July that he was returning home. 

His name was on the list of soldiers returning published in the:

Observer (Adelaide) Saturday July 12, 1919:

THE MAHIA

The following soldiers are returning by the steamer Mahia, which left England on June 4.

7065. Spr. S. QUINTRELL, 2nd Tun. Coy.                                                                                                    Article abridged
 

Journal (Adelaide) Thursday July 17, 1919:

RIO PARDO AND MAHIA TROOPS

The troopship Rio Pardo will berth at the Outer Harbour at 7.40 p.m. to night.

The troops from the Mahia will arrive by train from Melbourne on Friday morning and will detrain at Keswick at 9.30 a.m.                                                                                                                                               Article abridged

 
The troopship HMAS Mahia docked in Melbourne (3rd Military District) on 17 July with news of their impending arrival published in the:

Their Melbourne arrival was reported in the:

Daily Herald (Adelaide) Friday July 18, 1919:

SOLDIERS WELCOMED IN MELBOURNE

Crowds lined the streets of Melbourne yesterday afternoon and gave the troops from the transport Mahia a warm welcome.  The receiption was the warmest, which has been seen for several months, due apparently to the fact that the contingent was a large one, numbering more than 500. 

The South Australian batch went on the special train.                                                                                  Article abridged
 

Military Discharge was issued in Adelaide (4th M.D.) on 17 August, 1919 on termination of his period of enlistment.  Sapper 7065 Stanley Quintrell, 2nd Tunnelling Company as issued for serving his country with the British War Medal (19985),1914/15 Star and the Victory Medal (19586).