GILL, Erold Waring
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 October 1914, 7th Battalion London Regiment 86th Brigade Royal Field Artillery |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | North Adelaide, South Australia, 22 May 1891 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Queens School, North Adelaide and St Peter's College, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France , 25 July 1916, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Mericourt-L'Abbe Communal Cemetery Extension II F 1 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Oct 1914: | Enlisted British Forces (All Conflicts), Lieutenant, 7th Battalion London Regiment 86th Brigade Royal Field Artillery | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Involvement Officer |
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From the book Fallen Saints
Erold Waring Gill of North Adelaide was born in May 1891. He received his early education at Queens School, attended the Collegiate School of St Peter 1901- 1909, and was in England when war broke out; he was one of the earliest to enlist in the British Army.
E W Gill is at Woolwich as a gunner in the 10th Battery of the Royal Horse Artillery, training hard to be ready for the front by Christmas. [i]
Within a few months, he received his bombardier’s stripes and that year after completing a course on signalling and gunnery at Aldershot, he was commissioned and posted to the position of Brigade Signalling Officer as a Second Lieutenant.
In October, he was the observation officer for his battery in the action at Loos and in early February 1915 was promoted to Lieutenant.
On 25 July 1916 Lieutenant Erold Waring Gill, then in command of 86th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery and due to be promoted, was mortally wounded and died the same day; he was 25 years of age.
These few lines written by a close friend and published in an Adelaide newspaper on 11 November 1916 give a clear insight in to the type of leader and man he was.
A few days before he fell he was specially recommended for the Military Cross for valor and general good work in the battery. His commanding officer writes that ‘he was beloved by all who came in touch with him, and looked upon as a most able and keen young officer.’ [ii]
Note: - Commonwealth War Graves Commission website lists him under the surname of Waring Gill.
[i] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, December 1914, p. 38
[ii] Adelaide Chronicle, Saturday 11 November 1916, p. 44
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