Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Stanley was the son of Henry Winter LIHOU & Mary Ann PEARCE and was born on the 8th of December 1888 in Kooringa, near Burra, SA.

His parents were married on the 1st of July 1880 at the residence of Mary’s parents, Burra, SA.

His father was the son of Nicholas LIHOU & Rachel Marie ROUGET and was born on the 8th of November 1854 in Cox’s Creek, SA.
His mother was the daughter of Samuel PEARCE & Ann Marie VIVIAN and was born on the 5th of November 1858 in Mintaro, SA.

Stanley was the fourth child born into this family of 8 children.

His father was a miner in Burra.

Stanley attended the Burra Public School until the family moved to George Street, Solomontown, Pt Pirie in 1900.

When they moved to Solomontown Stanley gained employment as a farm labourer.

At the age of 26, Stanley enlisted into the AIF on the 14th of August 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 4214 and posted to E Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.

He was transferred to the 10th Battalion, 13th Reinforcements and embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Borda on the 11th of January 1916.
He trained in Egypt before being transferred to the 50th Battalion and proceeding to France.

His brother Arthur enlisted into the 48th Battalion on the 16th of May 1916 (2196) and was reported missing in action on the 11th of April 1917. It was latter discovered that he was a POW, interred in the Linburg POW Camp.

Sadly, Stanley would never see his mother again as she died whilst he was overseas.
After more than 3 years overseas Stanley embarked for Australia on the 13th of April 1919 on board HMAT Commonwealth and disembarked in Adelaide on the 6th of June.

Stanley was discharged from the AIF on the 29th of July 1919 and in November he obtained a Soldier Settlement Block, Sections 85 & 85, Hundred of Hanson.

After a few years he sold his land and married Gladys TURNER on the 22nd of November 1923 in Maylands, SA.
Gladys was the daughter of John TURNER & Nannie Hoskin PEARCE and was born on the 29th of October 1900 in Kooringa, near Burra, SA.

They made their home in Kooringa where Stanley was farming and welcomed Jean Mary on the 23rd of June 1924, followed by Gladys Fay on the 20th of May 1926.

In 1929 they sold the farm and moved to 10 Hulbert Street, Brighton (now Hove) where Stanley gained employment as a labourer and he joined the Brighton RSL.

Then on the 31st of December 1938 they welcomed a little boy; Stanley, into the family. Sadly little Stanley died on the 3rd of January 1939 aged just 3 days.

With the outbreak of WW2, aged 50, Stanley enlisted into the CMF (Citizen Military Forces) on the 29th of September 1939 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number S212300 and posted to B Company, 4th Garrison Battalion.
He served with the Records Department at Headquarters and then the Provost Section before being transferred to the Military Prison & Detention Barracks Service.

Stanley was discharged from the CMF on the 23rd of December 1943.

They later moved to 10 Holder Street, Hove and then in the late 1960’s to Christies Beach.

Gladys died in the 13th of June 1971 and was cremated in the Centennial Park Cemetery 3 days later.

Stanley died on the 30th of September 1971 in the Daw Park Repatriation Hospital and was cremated in the Centennial Park Cemetery 4 days later.

Military

WW1

At the age of 26, Stanley enlisted into the AIF on the 14th of August 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 4214 and posted to E Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his mother, of George Street, Solomontown, Pt Pirie, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of November he was transferred to the 10th Battalion, 13th Reinforcements.

Stanley embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Borda on the 11th of January 1916 and after stopping in Fremantle he disembarked at Port Suez on the 9th of February and marched into the 3rd Training Battalion.

On the 29th of February 1916 Stanley was transferred to the newly raised 50th Battalion in Serepeum.

The 50th Battalion was raised in Egypt 3 days earlier as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Approximately half of its recruits were veterans from the 10th Battalion and the other half were fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 10th, the 50th was predominantly composed of men from South Australia. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and was dubbed "Hurcombe's Hungry Half Hundred", after its first CO, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe.

On the 5th of June they proceeded to France from Alexandria, disembarking in Marseilles 7 days later.
By the 1st of July they had moved to Fleurbaix and into the front line and after 10 days in the trenched they marched out to Bailleul then onto Heissart.

On the 1st of August they began their move to Brickfields for their first Battle.
They fought in their first major Battle at Mouquet Farm between the 13th and 15th of August and suffered heavy casualties.

They then took part in another assault launched there on the 3rd of September and then spent the remainder of September and early October at Dickebusch with fatigue duty.

The Battalion saw out the rest of the year alternating between front-line duty and training and labouring behind the line in and around Fricourt.
By the 24th of November they had moved to Benafay Wood into training before entraining and marching to Buire on the 6th of December, for further training.

On the 18th of December they entrained to St Vaast, where they spent Christmas 1916, before marching 8 miles to Cardonette on the 3rd of January 1917.
The following day they march to Buire and then on the 6th they marched to Fricourt and onto Bezantin and into the front line trenches.
They were relieved on the 27th of January and moved to Perth Camp, at Bernafay and after 3 weeks here they relieved the 51st Battalion in the front line.
Ten days later, they moved to Bazentin and then onto Buire for further training and reorganisation.

On the 22nd of Marched they moved to Mametz Camp before they took over the front line south of Noreuil.

They then participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and attacked at Noreuil on the 2nd of April.
Later that year, the focus of AIF operations moved to the Ypres sector in Belgium. There the battalion was involved in the battle of Messines between the 7th and 12th of June and the battle of Polygon Wood on the 26th of September.

They then moved into Halifax Camp, near Dickebusch and then onto Steenvorde. On the 10th of October they marched to Abeele, entrained to Ypres and moved into the front line at Broodseinde Ridge.
After 12 days they marched to Cornwall Camp, near Ouderdom for 5 days before entraining to Brandhoek and marching to billets in Lugy.

November was spent in training and at billets in Laires, Ruisseauville, Wambercourt, Tortefontaine, Fontaine-sur-Maye, Hautvillers, Franleu before reaching Meneslies at the end of November.

They then moved onto Moislains where they spent Christmas 1917 before they moved Peronne, entrained to Bailleul and marched to Strazeele. From Strazeele they entrained to Elzenwalle and marched into Tournai Camp.
They then entrained at Gordon and detrained at Manor Farm and relieved the 47th Battalion in the front line.

Stanley then gained 2 weeks leave on the 23rd of January 1918 before rejoining his Battalion at Ridgewood Camp.
They then spent the early part of March in Kemmel Shelters before moving to the Lillers area.

By this time the German Army had launched a major offensive on the Western Front and the 4th Division was deployed to defend positions south of the River Ancre in France.
On the 5th of April Stanley and his Battalion where at Dernancourt and they assisted in the repulse of the largest German attack mounted against Australian troops during the war. The German threat persisted through April, and on ANZAC Day 1918 the 50th Battalion participated in the now- legendary attack to dislodge the enemy from Villers-Bretonneux.

They then continued to play an active role during the Allies' own offensive, launched on the 8th of August 1918.
A few weeks later they had moved into billets at Rivery for rest and refitting.

They left their billets on the 6th of September for the front line at Beaumetz and then Soyecourt.
On the 11th of September they relieved the 29th Battalion, just east of Vendelles.
Early in the morning of the 13th of September they attacked the enemy’s position and during this advance Stanley’s platoon lost touch with the other platoons as they were following the retreating enemy.
They advanced right through the wood before they realised the danger of being cut off from the other platoons by the enemy and had to fight their way back through the wood.

Their last major operation of the war was the attack on the Hindenburg "outpost line" on the 18th of September, during which they composed part of the 4th Division's reserve.

They then moved to Ferrieres in October where they were billeted, rested and trained.

On the 10th of November they were entrained for Brancourt and en route, whilst stopped at St. Quentin, they received the news of the Armistice.

By the 13th they had reached Brancourt and then marched into Fresnoy-le-Grand on the 15th.
They then moved through St. Souplet, Favril, Le Petit-Fayt, Sains-du-Nord and had arrived at Sivry by the end of November.
In mid December they moved to Dinant and this is where they spent their last Christmas Day away from family and friends in a foreign land.

He was then granted leave to England on the 4th of January 1919 and had not long rejoined his Battalion when he marched out for return to England.
Stanley embarked for England on the 10th of February, disembarked in Weymouth the following day and marched in the 3rd Training Brigade Command Depot.

Stanley embarked for Australia on the 13th of April 1919 on board HMAT Commonwealth and disembarked in Adelaide on the 6th of June.

Stanley was discharged from the AIF on the 29th of July 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.

WW2

At the age of 50, Stanley enlisted into the CMF (Citizen Military Forces) on the 29th of September 1939 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number S212300 and posted to B Company, 4th Garrison Battalion.
He listed his wife as his next of kin.

On the 25th of October he was transferred to the Records Department at Headquarters and then on the 29th of March he was transferred to the Provost Section and appointed Temporary Corporal.

Stanley was hospitalised in the Wayville Camp Hospital for 4 days on the 5th of December and then on the 3rd of January 1941 he was granted 21 days leave.
He was then attached to the Terowie Transhipment Centre for 3 weeks on the 3rd of July 1942 and on his detachment he was transferred to the South Australian Detention Barracks and promoted to Acting Sergeant.

On the 4th of June 1943 he was transferred from the Provost Corps to the Military Prison & Detention Barracks Service.

Stanley was discharged from the CMF on the 23rd of December 1943.