Hill, Frank S

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Frank Hill

38108, Private, 2nd Welsh Regiment
Died of wounds, 4 October 1915, aged 27
Buried at Le Treport Military Cemetery, France

CWGC registered (no family details)

Frank Hill is described in the Llandudno Roll of Honour as a private in the Dragoon Guards. The publication Soldiers Died in the Great War does not record a soldier of this name and regiment but does include a soldier of the 2nd Welsh Regiment whose former unit was the 4th Dragoon Guards. Records of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission give his name as FS Hill.

Frank Hill, according to Soldiers Died in the Great War was born at Sale, in Cheshire and lived at Ashton-under-Lyne. Assuming Frank was aged 27 when he died, then he was born in 1887/8. Sale was in the Altrincham registration district and the only Frank Hill born around that time in that registration district was born at Knutsford and survived the war. A Frank Sidney Hill, born in Salford on 9 December 1887, was orphaned and joined his elder brothers in Canada; he died in California. A Frank Hill was born in Stalybridge at the end of 1889 and, significantly perhaps, in 1911 was employed as a motor tractor driver and lived in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Nevertheless, nothing about Frank’s early life can be stated with any confidence. It was reported that before the war, Frank had been in the employ of Dr Craig of [14 Mostyn Crescent,] Llandudno and lived at “Ringway House”, Deganwy Street.

Frank Hill enlisted at Liverpool. His regimental number in the Dragoon Guards was 7189 which suggests a recruitment date of August 1914. Since the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards disembarked in France at about that time, it is highly likely that Frank joined the 4th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry that had formed at Tidworth when the front line Dragoons had left for France. In the spring of 1915, 800 men of the 4th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry were ordered to transfer to the Infantry. This is almost certainly how Frank found himself to be disembarking in France destined to be a reinforcement for the 2nd Battalion of the Welsh Regiment with a regimental number of 38108. The battalion had been in France for almost a year with the British Expeditionary Force.

On 25 September 1915, the 2nd Battalion WR engaged the Germans during the Battle of Loos. Casualties were very high and probably included Frank Hill who was reported wounded in action. He died of his wounds on 4 October 1915 at No 2 Canadian General Hospital, Le Treport, France and was buried at the town’s military cemetery.

Army records indicate that his sole legatee was Miss Sarah Hill. A Sarah Hill (15) resided at “Ringwood House”, Deganwy Street in 1911. No other mention of the aforementioned “Ringway House” on Deganwy Street have been discovered so it is possible that Frank was a lodger at Sarah’s home. Though they shared the same surname, no relationship has yet been established.

Known memorials:

  • Llandudno Roll of Honour
  • Llandudno War Memorial
  • Memorial Chapel, Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno

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