Hilton Charles (Herb) YELVERTON

YELVERTON, Hilton Charles

Service Number: 2051
Enlisted: 18 January 1915, Perth, Western Australia
Last Rank: Sergeant
Last Unit: 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1)
Born: Bussleton, Western Australia, Austraia, 4 February 1894
Home Town: Quindalup, Busselton, Western Australia
Schooling: Claremont's Scotch College Western Australia
Occupation: Station hand
Died: Died of Wounds, Southend, England, United Kingdom, 21 October 1916, aged 22 years
Cemetery: Southend-on-Sea Cemetery, Essex, England
Row E, Grave 3436,
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Busselton Cenotaph Victoria Square, Busselton Rotary Park Of Remembrance War Memorial, Busselton Rotary Park of Remembrance Memorial Walk, Busselton St Mary's Anglican Church Honour Roll, Mosman Park Memorial Rotunda, Nedlands Scotch College WW1 Honour Roll
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World War 1 Service

18 Jan 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2051, 11th Infantry Battalion, Perth, Western Australia
29 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2051, 11th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: ''

29 Apr 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2051, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Fremantle
22 Jun 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2051, 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
21 Oct 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2051, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17

Help us honour Hilton Charles Yelverton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon

Some of the documents state that he died at Chatham, but his death was registered at Rochford which at the time, was the Registration District for Southend-on-Sea. It is for this reason, he was laid to rest amongst six other Australian Great War casualties there.

Deaths Dec 1916   
Yelverton Hilton C 23 Rochford 4a 761

He was born in 1894 at Busselton, Busselton City,Western Australia,  the third son of the Late Henry John Yelverton [1854-1906] and Eloise (nee Guerrier) Yelverton [1853-1945] of 28 Napier Street, Cottesloe, Western Australia. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 January 1915 and embarked from Fremantle for active service abroad on 26 April 1915 per HMAT "Hororata" (A20). He died of wounds received in action in France, aged 22/23 years. He had also served at Gallipoli.

He was survived by his mother and brother, Mervyn Wilfred Yelverton (1869 - 1969)

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Biography contributed by Evan Evans

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland 

I recently researched the 7 WW1 Australian Soldiers buried in Southend-On-Sea (Sutton Road) Cemetery, Essex, England.

While researching Sergeant Hilton Charles Yelverton - I came across a letter he had written to his brother that was published in the local newspaper.

Not all interesting facts are found in History Books - I thought the comments he made about the Turkish Soldiers & life in the Trenches was very interesting & thought others might like to read it also:

Newspaper item – The South-Western News, Busselton, Western Australia – 19 November, 1915:

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT
Sergeant Hilton Yelverton, a Busselton boy, writing from Malta to his brother, Mr. H. G. Yelverton, at Quindalup, under date of 2nd September, says:—
" I left Gallipoli about a week ago in the Ascanius, the boat Mervyn left Australia on, being sent away with some wounded and sick. I have had a touch of sickness, and am now in hospital at Malta. You need not think I am very ill, because I am now feeling almost well again, and by the time you receive this I will be back with my regiment. I am also suffering from concussion, which was caused by a high explosive shell exploding alongside me about two weeks ago.

"I was in the fighting line for three months. We had some hard fighting and some splendid successes, and hope the fighting will be over before winter sets in. It will be rough in the trenches during winter, and the soil being clayey, it will be very boggy. The hospital I am in is called St. Patrick, and consists of a large number of huge tents. We get every attention, and everyone is very comfortable. Malta is a quaint old place, and is now very busy owing owing to the war at the Dardanelles
"I would like you to see the Gallipoli Peninsula after the war, to view the trenches, tunnels and pits, which form a kind of network all over the Peninsula. By that you can imagine the amount of work done by our boys. Trench fighting is a slow game; every few yards gained is done so after a great amount of work and sacrifice. In the last big battle we met with great success, but at the same time suffered heavy losses ; the Turkish losses were far greater than ours. We took a position which seemed impossible to capture. Needless to say, I have been in some stiff fighting, and have experienced all that is horrible in war, except gas and liquid fire. The Turks have not used these against us ; they have fought very fair The horrible tales you may have heard at the beginning of the war of the cruel way the Turks carried on have all been proved as false. In one instance when the Turks retreated, and left behind some of our wounded men who they had taken prisoners, we found that the Turks had bound up the wounds of our lads, given them their own water bottles, and left them in a comfortable position where our fellows could pick them up. I have seen them cease firing to allow a wounded Australian to be carried to safety. Our hospital ships lay close to the shore, and although the boats lying around them are fired upon, they never shell the hospital ships or interfere with the passage of the wounded. Taking them on the whole, the Turks are giving us a ' fair go.' "

Under date of September 8th, Sergeant Yelverton writes : —" I will have to stay here longer than I first expected, and there is a chance of me being sent to England if I do not get well quickly. I had a glorious rest the first night I was on the hospital ship. The first thing I had was a good wash. None of us had seen water for a fortnight, except what we had to drink. The next was a change into clean underclothes, my others being alive with lice; the trenches are infested with them. We slept on mattresses spread on the deck. These were very comfort- able too after lying on the bare ground with only one blanket, and sometimes none at all. We live like so many rabbits in our dug-outs in the trenches. The trenches are from six to eight feet deep. Along the side are deep holes, in which we sleep and keep our few belongings We are continually moving from one trench to another, and we are unable to make them our home for more than a day or two. One becomes accustomed to be being awakened at all hours during the night. Not long ago we were without sleep for two nights and days, and during the third night were in the taking of an enemy trench. We found ourselves rushing forward yelling and screaming, all having forgotten about fatigue and want of sleep. It was a great 'go in.' We took the trench and held it. The next day we felt the effects of being without sleep so long, and managed to have a fairly good rest."

On September 10th Sergeant Yelverton states:—"The doctor says that I will have to go to England before rejoining my regiment. That means it will be another six weeks before I return."

**Sergeant Hilton Yelverton was wounded in action in France on 5th July, 1916.

He died on 21st October, 1916 at Military Hospital, Chatham, England (as per Report of Death of a Soldier – Army Form B.2090A) from wounds received in action in France - G.S.W. (Gunshot wound/s) to Legs. (But most probably died at Queen Mary’s Royal Naval Hospital, Southend-On-Sea.)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/southend-on-sea...

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Biography

"THE LATE SERGT. H. C. YELVERTON.    

The friends of Mrs. Yelverton, late of Bussleton, at now of Marmion and Napier streets, Cottesloe, will regret to hear of the death of her son, Hilton Charles, who died on October 21, at Queen Mary's Royal Naval Hospital, Southend, Essex, of wounds received in France on July 23. Sergt. Yelverton was the third son of the late Mr. H. J. Yelverton of Quindalup. He was 22 years of age. He left Western Australia with the 11th Battalion on April 29, 1915. He was wounded at Gallipoli, was invalided to England, returned to Egypt, and was there transferred to the 51st Battalion which left for France on June 6 last. He was educated at the Scotch College. He made a large circle of friends, who will deeply deplore his early death. His younger brother, Sergt. Mervyn Yelverton, is at present with the forces in France." - from the Perth Western Mail 24 Nov 1916 (nla.gov.au)

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