Person

William was born 1888 in High Stanley, the son of Robert John and Esther Gill. William was from a family of 11 children and two of his brothers, George and Henry, were both killed in the West Stanley Colliery (‘Burns Pit’) Disaster in 1909.

William and his brother Andrew both enlisted in Stanley in 1914 and joined the 12th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. Andrew was later discharged as being unfit to serve because of ‘bad toes’ but William went on and entered the theatre of war in France on 25 August 1915.

In 1917 he went to fight in Italy and died of disease (CWGC) on Saturday 12 October 1918. He is buried in the Montecchio Precalcino Communal Cemetery Extension, Italy.

William was awarded the Military Medal in 1916 (London Gazette Sep 1916) as well as receiving the 1915 Star, British War and Victory Medal.

Sunniside Local History Society website, Burns Pit Disaster:
http://www.sunnisidelocalhistorysociety.co.uk/burnspit.html

Durham Mining Museum website, Burns Pit Disaster pages:
http://www.dmm.org.uk/names/n1909-01.htm
http://www.dmm.org.uk/pitwork/html/wstanley.htm

Civil Parish: Stanley

Birth date: 1888

Death date: 12-Oct-1918

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 2 High Street, Stanley (1901 census)
2 Henry Street, Stanley (1911 census)

Employment: Hewer, coal miner (1911 census)

Family: Parents: Robert John Gill, Esther Gill
Siblings: Robert J Gill, Andrew Gill, Ann Gill, Isabella Gill, Elizabeth Gill, David Gill, Mary J Randall (married name), George Gill, Henry Gill (1901 and 1911 census)

Military service:

Corporal 18219
12th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Attached to 23rd Division Assistant Provost Marshal

Memorial(s): Book of Remembrance, Saint Andrew’s Church, Stanley

Gender: Male

Contributed by carrollhouse41, Stanley