Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

stanley george hill
A biography
 

Stanley George Hill was born to Maria Jane Hill in Parkside, South Australia on the 6th of June 1889. He was short (“5 ’6), with brown hair and brown eyes. He was a Christian and his local parish was in Broken Hill. He grew up in Broken Hill, South Australia and worked there as a miner up until 1914. In 1914 England declared war on Germany and its allies. Australia, as a former British colony, also declared war upon Germany. Stanley travelled to Adelaide, South Australia to enlist. In Broken Hill he left his job as a miner in the notorious silver, lead and zinc mines. He also left his young family. His wife, Myrtle Hill and his three children: Stanley, Albert and Leslie Hill, all of whom were under the age of 5 years.

Stanley George Hill enlisted in Morphettville, South Australia on the 16th of September aged 25 years. He enlisted as a private in the 16th infantry Battalion. He was given the service number 1280. He listed his next of kin as Myrtle Hill of Broken Hill, NSW. Yet this is later changed to Unley, South Australia. I gather that after the death of her husband Myrtle Hill moved to Adelaide to bring up her children.

Stanley then spent the next 2 and a half months in a training camp of some sort in either South Australia or Victoria. Whereabouts is not recorded. Then on the 22nd of December 1914 he embarked on HMAT A40 Ceramic bound for Egypt. The ship he took was once a luxury steam ship operated by the White star Line. His ship took him to Cairo, where he undertook training for around three to four months.

It is unknown when he embarked from Alexandria to get to the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey but he must have left in March to reach his destination by the time he did. Stanley had been sent to Turkey because the Turks had become allies of Germany. Because of their strategic location the British and French needed Turkey to be taken out of the war. Thus prompting an attack on Gallipoli. The plan was to push from Gallipoli all the way to the capital of Turkey, Constantinople (Istanbul). It is unrecorded as to when Stanley landed on the Beaches at Gallipoli, but there is a high chance he was one of the first people to land on the beaches at Gallipoli. This is because the first ANZAC landings at Gallipoli occurred late on the 24th to early on the 25th of April 1915 and Stanley George Hill was reported missing in action on the 2nd of May 1915.

 It is recorded that Stanley’s disappearance in action was not acknowledged by Australian officials till the 29th of January 1916. He was not declared dead until the 6th of April 1916 by a court of Inquiry. His body was not found. He is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere near ANZAC cove, Turkey. A package containing his belongings was sent to Myrtle Hill on the 17th of July 1916.  After his death he was awarded the British War medal, a Victory medal and the 1915 Star, medals that all Australian soldiers received if they died in action. His only known memorial is the 53rd panel at the Lone Pine memorial, Turkey.

Stanley George Hill is my great, great grandfather. He is the great grandfather of my mother. I visited his memorial in Lone Pine two years ago in 2014. I believe he represented the ANZAC spirit.  It would have been hard to leave his job security, his young wife, his very young children and his country to fight. These acts tell us his courage, his faith and the love he had for his country. He must have taken this courage to battle because he was fully aware he was risking his life for his country. He had faith in his country and his comrades. Most of whom he would not have met until a few months beforehand. Finally his love for his country is obvious as he was risking his life to make sure his country would be safe.