HILL, Sydney Edward
| Service Number: | 158 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry |
| Born: | London, England, United Kingdom, 18 April 1858 |
| Home Town: | Warwick, Southern Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Photographer |
| Died: | Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, 22 March 1913, aged 54 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Rose Hill Cemetery, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Private, 158, 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 1899: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 158, 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 448 notes 1st QMI embarked 1 Nov 1899 aboard Cornwall arriving Cape Town 13 Dec 1899. | |
| 13 Mar 1901: | Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 158, 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 451 and NAA- Boer War Dossier, notes invalided to England on 23 May 1900. Returned from England aboard Austral arriving Brisbane 11 Mar 1901, discharged 13 Mar 1901. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Claude McKelvey
Note- while the AWM Boer War Nominal Roll compiled by Murray records him as Sydney Edward Hill his actual name was Sidney Edward Hill.
When Sydney (Sidney) Edward Hill enlisted in 1899 in the 1st QMI and his details were published with the rank and file in The Brisbane Courier, 18 Nov 1899, he was recorded as Private S. E. Hill, married, care of Mr. Ferguson, Messrs Baker and Rouse, South Brisbane. In the Boer War Service Paybooks for the 1st QMI, Bk 1 p. 51, it is noted he directed part of his pay to Mr. C. D. Ferguson, c/- Baker and Rouse, Brisbane. He was invalided from service to England on 23 May 1900 and eventually returned to Brisbane where he was dischrged on 13 Mar 1901.
Fortunately, there are several biographies online, including on the Australian Boer War Memorial web site (includes photo), and his Find A Grave memorial, to identify the correct person that served in the Boer War His son of the same name was born in 1879 and emigrated with his parents to Queensland and would have been of sufficient age to also enlist.
Sidney Edward Hill was born on 18 Apr 1858 at London, England, a son to Sidney Russell Richards and Rosina Hill (his parents never married). He married Mary Grace Buckley on 27 Dec 1877 in Middlesex, England, and had 2 children in England before emigrating to Queensland, with a further 5 children born in Queensland.
Sidney, his wife, and 2 children emigrated to Queensland aboard the East Granville arriving at Maryborough on 18 Apr 1883. He was a professional photographer living in Warwick with his family and working for the Baker and Rouse Studio in Brisbane when he enlisted.
The Warwick Examiner and Times, 28 Oct 1899, reported that on enlistment he was appointed photographer to the Queensland Contingent. During his time in South Africa his photographs, along with notes, were published in various Queensland newspapers with acknowledgement to S. E. Hill, Baker and Rouse.
It appears that the time he spent recuperating in England after being invalided there from South Africa, rekindled his love of the country. While he returned to Australia and was discharged in Brisbane in Mar 1901, later in the early 1900s he would return to England on his own where he passed in 1913. His wife, Mary, and their children remained in Queensland.
(source- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 451; National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier; Qld State Archives- Boer War Service Paybooks 1st QMI, Bk 1 p. 51; Australian Boer War Memorial- database Bio; Find A Grave- memorial).