Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Edward Riley, (Served as HAYES). known as Billy, was born on the 21st May 1898 at Whittlesea VIC, the eldest of 3 children born to his parents William and Clara Riley.  He had 2 younger sisters Marion and Phyllis.  Billy was educated at Scotch College from 1907 to 1910 but then his parents separated.  The children stayed with their mother and Billy completed his education at St Patrick's College.  He was a member of the St Ignatius’ Catholic Club and was a trainee in the local senior cadets.  

When WW1 broke out Billy enlisted just 2 weeks later on 17th August 1914.  He gave his age as 19 and wrote that he worked as clerk.  He was actually just 16 years and 3 months old and he was emploed as an apprentice enginner before enlisiting.  He also claimed to have served 6 months in the Citizen’s Militia Forces at Balmain in Sydney NSW.  This too was false as was the name he enlisted under, that of Edwin Hayes.  He changed his mother’s surname to Hayes and gave her address as Glebe Road Sydney to cover his tracks because he was under age.  The truth was that he enlisted at Richmond VIC not far from where he lived with his mother, though she was unaware of his enlistment.

Billy is described as being 5ft 8ins tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair.  His service number was 316, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 6th Infantry Battalion C Company, part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Division.  After completing his training at Broadmeadows Camp he embarked for Egypt from Melbourne on HMAT Hororata on 19th October 1914 then sailed with the 1st Convoy from Albany WA on 1st November.  He disembarked at Alexandria on 2nd December and proceeded to Mena Camp.  The Battalion remained there until early April 1915 when they embarked from Alexandria on HMT Galeka bound for Gallipoli.  They anchored in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island where they completed more training then proceeded to Gallipoli arriving there in early hours of the 25th April.  They went ashore under heavy fire at 6am in the 2nd wave.  In the following days the 6th Battalion held the position 400 Plateau above Anzac Cove.  Billy’s C Company took a position west of what is now known as Lone Pine.

On 5th May 1915 the 6th Battalion received orders to proceed to Cape Helles.  The British had landed there on the 25th April but had failed to take their objectives.  The 2nd Infantry Brigade, which included the 6th Battalion, was called upon to take part in the 2nd Battle for Krithia.  They arrived at Cape Helles in the early morning on the 6th May and disembarked at V Beach at Sedd-el-Bahr.  The strength of the 6th Battalion was 22 Officers and 703 other ranks.  The attacks on the 6th and 7th May failed so on 8th May, the 2nd Infantry Brigade, under the command of Brigadier-General McCay, was given 35 minutes warning that it was to join the attack at Krithia.  The Australians were to advance along Krithia Spur between the right flank of the New Zealand brigade and the edge of Kanli Dere.  They had to move up to 800yds from their reserve position just to reach the start line at "Tommy's Trench".  The attack commenced at 5.30pm with bayonets fixed.  The Brigade managed to advance a further 500yds beyond the start line but suffered 50% casualties in the process losing 1,000 men in the first hour who were cut down by machine gun fire from both sides.  When it was all over the 2nd Infantry Brigade had lost a third of its men and the 6th Battalion had lost 133 men.  Billy was one of them.  He was killed in action on 8th May 1915 aged 16…just 2 weeks short of his 17th birthday.  He has no known grave.  They failed to take their objective and it had been extremely costly for the Australians and the New Zealanders who lost 835 men.  It was a battle that should never have happened, advancing on an enemy they could not see.  It was a day of heartbreaking bravery and loss with the ANZACs showing once again that spirit that made them famous on the 25th April 1915 when they first set foot upon Gallipoli. 

There were 2 spectators there watching the attack on the 8th May at Krithia…Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander of the Allied Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and Charles Bean…Australia’s official historian for WW1.  Bean was in the trenches with the Australians and watched them move forward despite the odds.  He was in awe and he reports hearing one of the Officers shout “Come on chaps, we’ve got to go get it sometime.”  Hamilton was watching from a hill and later wrote that he heard a wounded British Officer say “It was worth 10 years of tennis to watch the Australians and New Zealanders go in.” 

The war diaries for both the 6th Battalion and the 2nd Infantry Brigade don’t start until May 1915.  The reason for this is that there was a bombardment of the headquarters on the 8th May 1915 resulting in the wounding and deaths of the Brigade’s staff.  The diaries and other documents were also lost in this bombardment. 

Billy is commemorated on panels 201-204 (or 332) of the Helles Memorial at Cape Helles, Gallipoli, west of Sedd-el-Bahr.  The memorial sits on the headland at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula overlooking the Dardanelles.  It is the main Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign, and also commemorates over 21,000 Commonwealth servicemen with no known grave who died in the campaign during WW1.

Billy is also commemorated on panel 48 of the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra ACT.

After the war his parents fought over who should receive his personal effects and medals so the Army made the decision for them.  His father was sent Billy’s British War Medal and the Memorial Scroll.  The Memorial Scroll, Plaque and Royal Letter from the King, were presented to the next of kin of those who died while serving in the Australian Imperial Force in WW1 to acknowledge the soldier’s service and their loss as a family.  Billy’s mother received his 1914-1915 Star and Victory Medal along with the Memorial Plaque.               

William Edward Riley was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.   

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 23rd February 2024.

Sources

The Lost Boys by Paul Byrnes (book)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Krithia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helles_Memorial