Person

Albert Edward arrived in Canada on 9 June 1912, having crossed the Atlantic on the SS Corsican accompanied by his eldest sister, Dora, intending to join his parents and other siblings in Montreal.

Just before his 16th birthday, Albert travelled to Lindsay, Ontario to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he gave 1899 as his year of birth, making himself older than he really was, but even so was only passed as fit for a bugler. As Private 724111, he was originally assigned to the 109th Battalion based in Lindsay. About to be discharged as a minor when they left for England, he was transferred to the newly formed 252nd (Lindsay) Battalion and then to No. 3 Special Services Company, based at Fort Henry, Kingston, Ontario, where he remained until discharged in January 1918.

He certainly followed in his brother George’s footsteps when he forfeited six days’ pay and received 68 hours detention for creating a disturbance in camp by breaking a lamp chimney.

Civil Parish: Darlington

Birth date: 20-Mar-1901

Death date: 9-Apr-1979

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 68 Easson Road, Darlington (1901 census)
8 Springfield Road, Wigan (1911 census, in boarding house with mother and brother)
344 Riverdale Avenue, Ottawa (enlistment papers)
1090 New March, Verdun, Montreal, Quebec (1921 Canadian census)

Religion: Church of England

Employment: Grocer’s errand boy (1911 census)
Stable assistant (enlistments papers)

Family: Parents: George Gill, Annie Gill nee Still
Siblings: Dora Gill, Arthur Gill, Ida Gill, Queenie Gill (died in infancy), George Gill, Edgar Gill (died in infancy)
Wife: Berthe Gill nee Joncas (1924), Edna Sullivan
Children: Roger Gill, Marcel Gill, Dora Gill

Military service:

Private 724111
109th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
252nd Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
#3 Special Services Company

Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal

Gender: Male

Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham