Information about birth

Year of birth:
1898
Place of birth:
Gee Cross, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom

General information

Last known residence:
21 Mottram Old Road, Gee Cross, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
Profession:
Errand boy

Army information

Country:
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Force:
British Expeditionary Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
352573
Enlistment place:
Hyde, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
Units:
 —  Manchester Regiment, 2/9th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
09/10/1917
Place of death:
Frezenberg, Zonnebeke, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
19

Cemetery

Tyne Cot Cemetery
Plot: XLIV
Row: D
Grave: 18

Points of interest 4

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place
#4 Place of death (approximate)

My story

William Hill was the son of Clara and Arnold Hill. He was born around 1898 in Gee Cross, Cheshire. Before the war he worked as a errand boy. He enlisted in the British Army and belonged to the 2/9th Battalion Manchester Regiment (198th Brigade, 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division).

William was killed on 9 October 1917 during the Battle of Poelcappelle, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 2/9th Battalion Manchester had its starting positions near Hamburg and launched an attack towards Haalen and Vienna Cotts. At 5:24 a.m., the battalion followed its own barrage towards its first objective near Heine House. However, the Germans launched one barrage after another and soon counterattacked. This forced the battalion to retreat to Augustus Wood. Further counterattacks were repelled, and the line was held until relief arrived.

William died at the age of 19. After the war, his body was found near Frezenberg. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery, where he found his final resting place.

Sources 3

2/9 Battalion Manchester Regiment. (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/3141/7).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sources used
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14).
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sources used
McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 121-122.
Sources used

More information 3