S11756
GILLIS, Hector George
| Service Numbers: | 482, 1292 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Rendelsham South Australia, 10 December 1878 |
| Home Town: | Millicent, Wattle Range, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Mount Muirhead, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Long and Debilitating Illness, Mt Gambier South Australia, 26 July 1936, aged 57 years |
| Cemetery: |
Millicent Cemetery, S.A. Section C Plot 37 |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Trooper, 482, 5th South Australian Imperial Bushmen |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 14 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 1292, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 1292, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 1292, 9th Light Horse Regiment |
Help us honour Hector George Gillis's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Netta Blatchford
From 'The Border Watch' 2018
Hector Gillis was born in Rendelsham on December 10, 1878 and was consigned to the Fifth Contingent Imperial Bushmen when the South African War (Boer War) broke out in 1901.
His records state he was five feet and five and a half inches and was recommended as a “general station hand, can ride well and a fair shot”.
Mr Gillis set sail from Port Adelaide on February 9, 1901 and arrived in Cape Town after a 38 day journey.
When they arrived, the bubonic plague was rife and no one was permitted ashore and they proceeded to Port Elizabeth before they were allowed to disembark.
On Easter Sunday, the troupe moved out to confront the Boer Soldiers.
Mr Gillis wrote several letters to friends back home, which were published in the then Millicent Times and it appeared he was in the thick of the fighting.
The only other information the SEFHG had on his military service is when the fifth and sixth South Australian Imperial Bushmen arrived home in May 1902 the papers of the day reported Trooper Gillis was still in hospital in South Africa.
Upon returning home, Mr Gillis had a short stay in the Millicent district before moving to New Zealand and Western Australia.
In 1912, he came back to the South East and worked as a shearer in Furner, where he remained until 1915 when he enlisted for service in the Great War.
REMEMBERANCE: Millicent RSL club member Stephen Tidy lays a poppy on the grave of the two soldiers, who were remembered at the rededication ceremony.
When he enlisted on June 28, he stated he had spent two years in the Millicent Light Horse and 15 months in the South African War.
He served in Egypt in the 9th Light Horsemen Regiment 1292 for four and a half years.
In August 1916, Mr Gillis was wounded, necessitating three months in hospital and he was discharged from the army three years later.
With the war over, he returned to Furner and resumed work as a shearer.
In February 1935, he became ill and was admitted to the Adelaide Hospital for an operation.
Mr Gillis returned to Furner, but after a number of operations he never fully recovered and died in the Mount Gambier Hospital on July 26, 1936.