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Rowland HILL

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Surname: HILL

Forename(s): Rowland

Place of Birth: Lothersdale, Yorkshire

Service No: 3205

Rank: Sergeant

Regiment / Corps / Service: Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment)

Battalion / Unit: 1/6th Battalion

Division: 49th (West Riding) Division

Age: 20

Date of Death: 1916-08-09

Awards: ---

CWGC Grave / Memorial Reference: VII. E. 4.

CWGC Cemetery: LONSDALE CEMETERY, AUTHUILLE

CWGC Memorial: ---

Non-CWGC Burial: ---

Local War Memorial: SILSDEN, YORKSHIRE

Additional Information:

Rowland Hill was the son of Joseph and Ethel Hill, née Overin. Joseph was born at Lothersdale, Yorkshire and Ethel at Fillingham, Lincolnshire.

1901 Lothersdale, Yorkshire Census: Mill Yard - Rowland Hill, aged 5 years, born Lothersdale, son of Joseph and [stepson of] Mary Hill. [Joseph had married Mary Pickles in 1898].

1911 Silsden, Yorkshire Census: 32, South View Terrace - Rowland Hill, aged 15 years, born Lothersdale, Yorkshire, son of Joseph and [stepson of] Mary Hill.

The British Army Service Record for Rowland Hill exists but may be incomplete.

British Army WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards: Sgt Rowland Hill, 3205, West Riding Regiment. Theatre of War first served in: (1) France. Date of entry therein: 29 June 1915.

See also: ‘Guiseley Terriers: A Small Part in The Great War – A History of the 1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment’ by Stephen Barber (2018).

Data Source: Craven’s Part in the Great War - original CPGW book entry

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Entry in West Yorkshire Pioneer Illustrated War Record:

HILL, Sergeant Rowland, aged 20, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, only son of Cr. Joseph Hill, and Mrs. Hill, 32, South View Terrace, [Silsden], killed in action Aug. 9, 1916.

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Sergeant Rowland HILL

Sergeant Rowland HILL

Regiment / Corps / Service Badge: Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment)

Regiment / Corps / Service Badge: Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment)

Divisional Sign / Service Insignia: 49th (West Riding) Division

Divisional Sign / Service Insignia: 49th (West Riding) Division

Data from Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914 - 1919 Records

Soldiers Died Data for Soldier Records

Surname: HILL

Forename(s): Rowland

Born:

Residence: Silsden, Yorks

Enlisted: Keighley, Yorks

Number: 3205

Rank: Sergt

Regiment: Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)

Battalion: 1/6th Battalion

Decorations:

Died Date: 09/08/16

Died How: Killed in action

Theatre of War: France & Flanders

Notes:

Data from Commonwealth War Graves Commission Records

CWGC Data for Soldier Records

Surname: HILL

Forename(s): R

Country of Service: United Kingdom

Service Number: 6/3205

Rank: Serjeant

Regiment: Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)

Unit: 1st/6th Bn.

Age: 20

Awards:

Died Date: 09/08/1916

Additional Information: Son of Joseph and Ethel Hill, of "Throstle Nest," Oakworth, Keighley, Yorks. Native of Lothersdale, Keighley. (CWGC Headstone Personal Inscription: JESUS SAID I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE)

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Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuille

Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuille

CWGC Headstone

Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuille

Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuille

CWGC Headstone - personal inscription

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18 August 1916

SILSDEN – ANOTHER SILSDEN SERGEANT KILLED: SERGT. ROWLAND HILL

Information has been received that Sergeant Rowland Hill of the 1/6th West Riding Regiment, and only son of Cr. Joseph Hill and Mrs Hill, of 32, South View Terrace, Silsden was killed in action on August 9th whilst superintending the work in connection with the making of a new trench. Sergt. Hill is the fifteenth Silsden soldier to make the supreme sacrifice.

In a letter to his parents dated August 9th, Major Alfred B. Clarkson states:– “It is with great regret that I write to inform you that your son was killed early this morning from the bursting of a shrapnel shell. He was superintending his men who were working at a new trench, and the same shell wounded his officer and another sergeant. Please allow me to express my deepest sympathy with you in your great loss. Your son was in my old company, and I had formed a very high opinion of him. He was, I say it without exaggeration, the most promising N.C.O. I have come across. He was so very keen on his work and paid such close attention to anything he was doing; he was capable, intelligent, and above all, a brave man. It was my privilege to see a good deal of him, and I always found him to be a delightful fellow and in every way one of the cheeriest I have known. He never failed me in anything, and would without doubt have made a name for himself had he been spared. Since I handed over the command of the Company to Captain Clough, I have, on several occasions, asked how your son was doing. The reply was always the same, and only the day before he was killed Captain Clough told me what an excellent N.C.O. he was. I understand death was instantaneous. He will be buried this afternoon in a little cemetery where several of our men lie, and the service will be conducted by our chaplain. It is my intention to attend. Your son has made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country, willingly and cheerfully, and I trust that this will be some consolation to you in your great grief. The personal belongings of your son will be forwarded in due course by the authorities. Although I am afraid that it will be some time before they arrive. If there is anything I can do please let me know.”

Sergeant Hill, who was 20 years of age, was a Boy Scout attached to the 2nd Silsden Troop (Parish Church Scouts) on the outbreak of war, and he, along with a number of his comrades, volunteered to do duty in connection with guarding the pipe track at Bolton Abbey. In that capacity their services were utilised for some eight or ten weeks. Sergeant Hill ultimately became Assistant Scoutmaster of the above troop, and when the Scouts’ services were no longer required on guard duty at Bolton Abbey, he forthwith joined the Army, that being in early October 1914. He joined the 2/6th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding. Regiment, and his period of training extended to June 28th of last year, when he was sent out in a draft with the 1/8th Battalion. On reaching the Front he volunteered to become one of an Entrenching Battalion, and he was some months with that Battalion. About last Christmas he was sent up with a draft to his old Battalion the 1/6th, and he had been with them ever since. Since returning to the 1/6th Battalion his time had been largely occupied in the construction of railways, trench making and so on, chiefly on account of the experience he had gained whilst working with the Entrenching Battalion. Sergeant Hill was educated at the Keighley Trade and Grammar School. He had also completed a session at the Bradford Technical College, and would have had further tuition there in preparation for his future career had not the war intervened. Prior to enlisting he was a Sunday School teacher at the Parish Church Sunday School. His future career so full of promise has thus been nipped in the bud by his untimely end. Much sympathy is felt especially with the family of the deceased soldier in their bereavement.

In a letter to his uncle, Mr. Frank Driver, J.P., Moorefield, Silsden, Captain Arthur Driver, of Silsden, refers to the death of Sergt. Rowland Hill. He says:– “I have just heard very sad news from one of our Sergeants who has come out of the line wounded. He told me that Sergt. Rowland Hill was killed with the same shell that hit him. I was very sorry to hear this, for Rowland was a nice boy, and looked upon by all as one of the best N.C.O.s in the Battalion. I expect his people will have official notification by the time this letter reaches you. I am sure it will be a great blow to his father and mother. However, he died in a glorious cause. We shall have to pay a heavy toll in lives before the Hun is smashed, and of course it is a matter of luck whose turn comes next.”

Captain Sam H. Clough, of the B Company 6th West Riding Regiment – the same company as Sergt. Rowland Hill – in a letter to the deceased soldier’s parents, states:– “It is with the very deepest sorrow that I have to tell you of the death of your son, No. 3205, Sergt. Rowland Hill, which took place at 1.15 a.m. on the 9th August. At the time of his death he was working at a new communication trench, he being in charge of his platoon. He was standing talking to another sergeant and officer when a shell burst right among the three of them. A small piece penetrated your son’s head just above the right eye, killing him instantly, and wounding the other two. I was on my way to visit his platoon at the time, and arrived there ten minutes after it happened. The body was at once taken away on a stretcher, and will be buried today (Wednesday) in a small cemetery about a quarter of a mile behind the firing line, and one which is set apart for soldiers killed in action. We are all very much upset owing to his death. He was a very fine fellow, and will be very much missed in the Battalion. Such men as he are very hard to replace. If I had been asked to state which was the most popular N.C.O. in my Company, I should have replied ‘Sergt. Hill’. His men would have followed him anywhere, and were fearfully upset over his death. He never undertook any task without considering it thoroughly. There was never any need to supervise any of his work as he could always be relied upon to do it properly. His men have lost their best friend and their leader, and the Battalion has lost a first-class N.C.O. Please accept the very deepest sympathy of myself, brother officers, N.C.O.s, and men of this Company.”

25 August 1916

SILSDEN – REFERENCES TO SILSDEN HEROES

Another interesting batch of letters are to hand from Silsden soldiers and sailors on active service acknowledging the receipt of more parcels. The contents of the parcels sent out included a pair of socks, a quantity of sweets, cake, Oxo tablets, cocoa tablets, tin of Swiss milk, trench body cord, tea tablets, and a card bearing the inscription ‘With the best wishes from the inhabitants of Silsden.’ Most of the socks had been knitted by the members of the Silsden Parish Church Girls’ Friendly Society, whose efforts some time ago enabled them to set aside funds for the purchase of wool. Appended are extracts from the letters which have been sent to Mrs. Charles Sugden, of Bolton Road, Silsden:–

Pte. Fred Taylor, of the 1/6th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, writes:– “I thank the inhabitants of Silsden for sending such useful gifts. I see in the papers that a few Silsden lads have been killed recently, and we have had another Silsden soldier killed in Sergt. Rowland Hill. He was in the same battalion as I, but I did not see him killed. He was a nice lad and well liked in his company. We have had a hard time lately, but I have come through it all safe so far.”

25 August 1916

SILSDEN – REFERENCES TO SILSDEN HEROES

Another interesting batch of letters are to hand from Silsden soldiers and sailors on active service acknowledging the receipt of more parcels. The contents of the parcels sent out included a pair of socks, a quantity of sweets, cake, Oxo tablets, cocoa tablets, tin of Swiss milk, trench body cord, tea tablets, and a card bearing the inscription ‘With the best wishes from the inhabitants of Silsden.’ Most of the socks had been knitted by the members of the Silsden Parish Church Girls’ Friendly Society, whose efforts some time ago enabled them to set aside funds for the purchase of wool. Appended are extracts from the letters which have been sent to Mrs. Charles Sugden, of Bolton Road, Silsden:–

Pte. W. Rawling writes:– “It feels grand to think that the inhabitants of Silsden do not forget us although we are so far away from home. I am sorry to hear of several young men having been killed in action, but we never know whose turn it is next. We are looking forward to seeing the good old lads again in the 9th and 10th Duke of Wellington’s. From what I can make out they are not far away from us. I am sorry to say that Sergt. Rowland Hill has been killed this last week. It was hard luck as he was growing a fine lad and looking very well the last time I saw him.”

08 September 1916

SILSDEN URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL – A MEMBER’S GREAT LOSS

Before proceeding with the ordinary business the Chairman referred to the death in France of Sergt. Rowland Hill, the only son of Cr. and Mrs. Hill, and said he had asked Mr. Basnett to move a resolution of sympathy with the bereaved parents. Unfortunately, Mr. Basnett was not sufficiently well to be present, and he would therefore ask Cr. Tom Fletcher to move the resolution. The Chairman added that he would have undertaken the duty himself but for the fact that he had moved a similar resolution in another place.

Cr. Tom Fletcher said it was with very great regret and sympathy that he rose to move a resolution of sympathy with Cr. Joseph and Mrs. Hill in the death of their only son. To bereaved parents words might seem very poor comfort in a trial of this kind, but still they served to express their feelings in their hour of sorrow. Tragedies such as this were occurring innumerably every day, and there was a danger that their feelings might get so steeled as to pass them over as a matter of course, but when the tragedy visited their own communities and entered the circle of those with whom they were acquainted, they realised what the tragedy of war was. Their warmest sympathy, he ventured to think, went out to their bereaved friends. Their one consolation was that their son had nobly sacrificed himself for the good of his King and Country. A young man might be stricken down at 20, while another person might live to the ripe old age of 80, and yet there might he a greater fullness of service in the young man’s life than in that of the old man (hear, hear). Sir Walter Scott had truly said that “One crowded hour of glorious life was worth an age without a name”, and when the history of this great and tragic war came to be written the sterling services that had been tendered by the young manhood of this country would be duly recognised, even though they might rest in nameless graves in a foreign land.

Cr. A.W. Wade, who seconded, remarked that he was is accord with all that Cr. Fletcher had said.

The resolution was carried in the customary manner.

08 September 1916

SILSDEN – TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SERGT. ROWLAND HILL

Writing in the current issue of the Silsden Parish Magazine, in reference to the death of Sergeant Rowland Hill, the vicar (Rev. E. E. Peters) says:– “As a congregation we have all been filled with great sorrow at the death of Sergt. Rowland Hill, killed in action.

“I did not know him, for he had left for the Front before I came here, but I had heard so much about him that I was constantly looking forward to the great pleasure of meeting him when his long expected leave was granted. But the leave never came. You all know how gallantly he met his death when working in ‘No Man’s Land.’ His officers and fellow non-commissioned officers and the men of his Company have written in the kindest way to his father; they speak in the highest terms possible of his single-eyed devotion to duty, his reliability, his constant cheerfulness, his efficiency and capability as a non-commissioned officer, which had already caused him to be marked out for promotion to commissioned rank in a short time. Not only was he respected, admired and trusted as a soldier, but he was loved as a friend by all who had the good fortune to be brought into association with him. His death is a very serious loss to his battalion, and to us here in Silsden. He was a young man of the greatest promise and had he been spared would have attained honour and success; but like so many others he has died nobly and gallantly, giving his life for the ideals which he had cherished. His memory will be an inspiration to the Boy Scouts with whom, as assistant Scoutmaster, he spent many happy days, and to the boys he taught in the Sunday School, and to all those who knew and loved him.”

29 December 1916

SILSDEN’S FOUR FALLEN HEROES – VICAR’S INSPIRING SERMON

On Sunday morning a service was held at the Silsden Parish Church in memory of four Silsden soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country:–

Sergeant Rowland Hill, of the Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment;
Corporal Fred Taylor, of the same regiment;
Gunner Wm. Hartley Sutcliffe, of the Royal Field Artillery; and
Pte. Dan Faulkner, of the Royal Irish Rifles.

There was a large congregation, including a number of the deceased soldiers’ relatives, and a number of local soldiers home on leave. The officiating clergyman was the Rev. E. E. Peters, M.A. (vicar).

In the course of his sermon Mr. Peters said that we as a nation, by reason of our great prosperity, and by reason of the sea surrounding us, had had for a long time very little sacrifices to make. So little had the sacrifices been that we were losing sight of the great principles of true religion. But in August, 1914, we had to make a great decision; we had to decide whether we should accept the way of the Cross, which was the way of sacrifices; whether we should show ourselves willing to be disciples of Jesus Christ, lovers of truth, righteousness and justice; or whether we should deny ourselves to be unworthy of the great place which God had given us in the world. By the grace of God we chose the way of the Cross, and because we chose that way, not in blindness, and not without a thorough realisation on the part of all thinking people at least of the terrible sacrifices entailed, because of that we had suffered many great sacrifices. We had had to make the most awful sacrifices which we as a country had ever made, and we were learning more and more the lesson that as Christ suffered so also must we suffer. They, as a community in the village of Silsden, had shared the sufferings of their kin. They had met before in that place of worship to hold services of a similar character to that they were holding that morning, and once more they were met together to the honour and glory of God and to the blessed memory of four gallant men who had accepted the law of Christ, and who had made the supreme sacrifice in giving their lives for the sake of their country.

HEAVY BLOW TO THE CHURCH
The death of Sergeant Rowland Hill had been a particularly heavy blow to the Church in Silsden. As they all knew he was the son of one of the most devoted Churchmen, and one of the most public-spirited men who lived amongst them. Sergt. Hill showed every promise of walking in the footsteps of his respected father. There were present that morning a company of Boy Scouts, and they knew well what Sergt. Hill was as one of their Scoutmasters. The Scouts remembered, and never would forget, because they had told him (Mr. Peters) so often, how during his vacation as a student at the Bradford Technical College, he formed one of a party at the beginning of the war to guard the waterworks in that neighbourhood. That they would always remember, and he hoped by the will of God they would be influenced by his example, they could well understand that a boy such as he would feel it was his duty to enlist in the armed forces of His Majesty to defend his country, and to do his part in the great battle for righteousness, truth and justice. They all knew in what love he was held by his family. He was an only son in whom great hopes were centred, and yet when he asked his father for permission to enlist the latter put no difficulty whatsoever in his way. He spoke to him as so many hundreds and thousands of fathers had done, and pointed out to him what he knew the war would be, but gave him his permission at once, although under age, to become a soldier. They knew him well in Silsden; his manners were gentle and kindly yet, like so very many more of our race, he had no natural disposition for warfare, although he made a splendid soldier. They had heard much of him from his officers and from his comrades, and they were all in agreement in saying that he was brave, without any fear, that he was capable and reliable, that he was considerate to those under him, and that above all he was ever cheerful. He soon rose to the rank of a non-commissioned officer, and they had been told over and over again that he was one of the best sergeants in the Battalion, and very soon he would have received the honour of a commission. However, that bright most promising and lovely life that he had shown was cut short so far as this world was concerned by a German shell. The information concerning his death came as a great shock to them at Silsden, and the deepest sympathy was felt by all for the bereaved family.

A PATRIOTIC FAMILY
Another young man whose memory they celebrated that morning, a young man of promise and character, was Corporal Fred Taylor of the same Battalion. He had heard much good of him too, but as they all knew a memorial service had been held for him in one of the other places of worship in that town, and he could not add anything to what had already been said at that service, except to express their deep sympathy with his friends and relatives.

The other two men, Gunner Wm. Hartley Sutcliffe and Pte. Dan Faulkner, were, like Rowland Hill, two men who as boys had been brought up in their Sunday School. They were fine young fellows who had early answered the country’s call. They all knew that Private Faulkner was the brother of Private Jobey Faulkner, in whose memory a service was held a short time ago. He had given his life also for his Country. He was a member of a very patriotic family who had two more brothers still serving at the Front. They owed their deepest gratitude to those men for what they had done for them, and their most heartfelt sympathy went out to the sorrowing families.

He was sure that when they thought of them they thought of two more families in Silsden who were in critical anxiety and suspense yearning for news of the whereabouts of their sons, which was perhaps in some ways worse than knowing their fate: the families of Pte. Garnett Longbottom and Pte. Bernard Locker, both of whom had been reported as missing. They only hoped and prayed that those families might have good news before very long.

They owed a debt of gratitude to those men, and how should they show that gratitude? Could they show it to the men themselves? They were in a very slight way showing some appreciation of what those men had done by gathering there that morning. But they hoped when the war was over to erect a permanent memorial to be handed on to their successors, to be an inspiration to them, of all those who had fallen in the war. But they could show their sympathy to the families of those men as they had done and were doing by consideration to them in every way that was possible. Another way, and perhaps the most important way of all to show their gratitude and honour for those men, was that all the forces available to us should be used to prosecute this war to a successful issue. We had heard of rumours of peace during the past week or so, and we knew perfectly well that if we made a peace which was not a real peace but just a truce to enable our enemies to strengthen their resources, it would be an act of the most cruel treachery and a betrayal of those gallant men who had died in order that our ancient liberties might be observed. There was one thought suggested to them, and probably he had suggested it before. Whenever they though of those bright, happy and splendid fellows who had gone from their midst the question came to them, “Am I worth that sacrifice?” It was a terrible and solemn question. It might be that there were some present who had asked themselves that question and had felt that they were not worthy of it. He hoped they all felt that. They all ought to feel their unworthiness, and it was very questionable whether they were individually worth it or not. It was their duty and their privilege to do as far as possible what they could to make themselves worthy of the great sacrifices that had been made for them.

How could they make themselves worthy? By being good citizens, and showing that in every way we could we would carry the burden of responsibility of membership of a great Empire to which we belonged. To most of them the burden was a very light one compared with the burden that those men carried unto death. How could we best bear that burden and do our share in the great task set before us? There was only one way and that by being followers not only in name, but also in deed and in truth, of Him who died for us and for our salvation – Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour whose birthday would be celebrated the following day. May God give them grace to learn the lessons he would have them learn amid all the sorrow and anguish of this terrible war.

Special prayers were offered, and during the service the hymns ‘O God of love, O King of peace’, ‘On the resurrection morn’, and ‘O God our help in ages past’ were sung. Appropriate music was also played by the organist (Mr. Herbert Cooper, A.R.C.M.).

27 July 1917

SILSDEN – THE LATE SERGEANT ROWLAND HILL

Amongst the many references in the recent issue of the Keighley School Magazine to ‘old boys’ who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of their King and Country, is one to the late Sergeant Rowland Hill of Silsden, which reads as follows:– “Sergeant Rowland Hill was a pupil at the Keighley Trade and Grammar School from 1906 to 1910. After leaving school he entered the business of his father as a manufacturer at Silsden, and was in that employment until he entered the Army in October 1914. Before entering the Army he did service as a Volunteer in the Boy Scouts, of which troop he was Assistant Scoutmaster. He went to France in June 1916, and at once volunteered as a member of the Entrenching Battalion. He was killed in action on August 9th 1916. As a boy at school he was always a most cheerful and zealous pupil, and was ever ready to do the duties allotted to him. From the testimony which his officers have given to him, it is quite evident that those qualities shone in his daily actions in the Army.”

07 June 1918

SILSDEN – In Memoriam

A service in memory of the Silsden young men who have recently given their lives for their country was held at the Silsden Parish Church on Sunday morning, conducted by the vicar, Rev. E. E. Peters. The hymns ‘The Saints on earth’, ‘O God our help in ages past’, and ‘God the all-terrible King who ordainest’ were sung. Mr. Herbert Cooper presided at the organ. Mr. Peters said in the service in which they had just taken part they had commemorated 69 men who has been killed in action, or died from wounds or from some other cause. He wished to say a few words especially about those young men who had fallen, and were connected with their Church and Sunday Schools.

The first was Sergeant W. Newns, who had been missing for over a year, but whom the authorities had recently announced as killed. He was one of the best young men in every sense of the word. He was a communicant, a Sunday School teacher and a young man who took a great interest in the physical side of life. He was one of the leaders of the training class for physical development. When he joined the Army in the early days of the war, he found that his time had been well spent as he was made an instructor in physical drill and a full Sergeant.

A few weeks ago the Church had lost another of its young men – Signaller Harry Barrett, who, before he joined up, was treasurer of the Church of England’s Young Men’s Society, and a very devoted member of the branch. Private Ernest Hardcastle was killed in September, after having proved himself a good soldier. He and Sergeant R. Hill were connected with the Sunday School and they did not forget their religion when they went into the Army. Mention was made of Second Lieutenant T.D. Stocks and his connection with the Boy Scout movement; Sergeant Rowland Hill; Private Ormond Clarkson, who was accidentally drowned a few weeks ago in the Persian Gulf; Air Mechanic Albert Bradley, who died in hospital alter being away from home only a few weeks; Sergeant Joe Bancroft who won the Military Medal by his extraordinary gallantry; Private Sydney [P]Lumb who was killed in September, and who had four other brothers serving.

On behalf of the church people of Silsden, the Vicar offered to the relatives and friends of those men their deepest sympathy and their most sincere and heartfelt gratitude for what they had done for them. He expressed the wish that as long as the Church remained, and if at any time a new Church should be built, it would be the custom at least once a year to commemorate all the men who had fallen in the war. He was impressed and touched beyond expression by the courage which the women of the parish had shown in these awful times, and it was an inspiration to the men, for they had shown themselves to be worthy mothers and wives of heroes who had given their all.

“Shall we betray their trust and take their deaths in vain?”

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18 August 1916

HILL – August 9th, in action in France, Sergt. Rowland Hill, of the 1st 6th West Ridings, only son of Councillor and Mrs. J. Hill of Silsden, aged 20.

18 August 1916

SILSDEN SERGEANT KILLED

Information has been received that Sergeant Rowland Hill, of the 1st 6th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, and only son of Councillor Joseph Hill and Mrs. Hill, of 32, South View Terrace, Silsden, has been killed in action on August 9th.

In a letter to his parents dated August 9th, Major Alfred B. Clarkson states: – “It is with great regret that I write to inform you that your son was killed early this morning from the bursting of a shrapnel shell. He was superintending men who went working at a new trench, and the same shell wounded his officer and another sergeant. Please allow me to express my deepest sympathy with you in your great loss. Your son was in my old company, and I had formed a very high opinion of him. He was – I say it without exaggeration – the most promising N.C.O. I have come across. He was so very keen on his work and paid such close attention to anything he was doing; he was capable, intelligent, and above all, a brave man. It was my privilege to see a good deal of him, and I always found him to be a delightful fellow and in every way one of the cheeriest I have known. He never failed me in anything, and would without doubt have made a name for himself had he been spared. Since I handed over the command of the Company to Captain Clough, I have, on several occasions, asked how your son was doing. The reply was always the same, and only the day before he was killed Captain Clough told me what an excellent N.C.O. he was. I understand death was instantaneous. He will be buried this afternoon in a little cemetery where several of our men lie, and the service will be conducted by our chaplain. It is my intention to attend. Your son has made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country, willingly and cheerfully, and I trust that this will be some consolation to you in your great grief. The personal belongings of your son will be forwarded in due course by the authorities, although I am afraid that it will be some time before they arrive. If there is anything I can do please let me know.”

Sergeant Hill, who was 20 years of age, was a Boy Scout attached to the 2nd Silsden Troop (Parish Church Scouts) on the outbreak of war, and he, along with a number of his comrades, volunteered to do duty in connection with guarding the pipe track at Bolton Abbey. In that capacity their services were utilised for some eight or ten weeks. Sergeant Hill ultimately became Assistant Scoutmaster of the above troop, and when the Scouts’ services were no longer required on guard duty at Bolton Abbey, he at once joined the Army – that being in early October 1914. He joined the 2nd 6th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, and his period of training extended to June 28th of last year, when he was sent out in a draft with the 1st 6th Battalion. On reaching the Front he volunteered to become one of an Entrenching Battalion, and he was some months with that Battalion. About last Christmas he was sent up with a draft to his old Battalion – 1st 6th – and he had been with them ever since. Since returning to the 1st 6th Battalion his time had been largely occupied in the construction of railways, trench making and so on, chiefly on account of the experience he had gained whilst working with the Entrenching Battalion. Sergeant Hill was educated at the Keighley Trade and Grammar School. He had also completed a session at the Bradford Technical College, and would have had further tuition there in preparation for his future career had not the war intervened. Prior to enlisting he was a Sunday School teacher at the Parish Church Sunday School. Much sympathy is felt with the family of the deceased soldier in their bereavement.

In a letter to his uncle, Mr. Frank Driver, J.P., Moorefield, Silsden, Captain Arthur Driver, of Silsden, refers to the death of Sergt. Rowland Hill. He says:– “I have just heard very sad news from one of our sergeants who has come out of the line wounded. He tells me that Sergt. Rowland Hill was killed with the same shell that hit him. I am very sorry to hear this, for Rowland was a nice boy, and looked upon by all as one of the best N.C.O.s in the Battalion. I expect his people will have official notification by the time this letter reaches you. I am sure it will be a great blow to his father and mother. However, he died in a glorious cause. We shall have to pay a heavy toll in lives before the Hun is smashed, and of course it is a matter of luck whose turn comes next.”

Captain Sam H. Clough, of the ‘B’ Company 6th West Riding Regiment – the same company as Sergt. Rowland Hill was in – in a letter to the deceased soldier’s parents, states:– “It is with the very deepest sorrow that I have to tell you of the death of your son, No. 3205 Sergt. Rowland Hill, which took place at 1.15 a.m. on the 9th of August. At the time of his death he was working at a new communication trench, he being in charge of his platoon. He was standing talking to another sergeant and officer when a shell burst right among the three of them. A small piece penetrated your son’s head just above the right eye, killing him instantly, and wounding the other two. I was on my way to visit his platoon at the time, and arrived there ten minutes after it happened. The body was at once taken away on a stretcher, and will be buried today (Wednesday, August 9th) in a small cemetery about a quarter of a mile behind the firing line, and one which is set apart for soldiers killed in action. We are all very much upset owing to his death. He was a very fine fellow, and he will be very much missed in the battalion. Such men as he are very hard to replace. If I had been asked to state which was the most popular N.C.O. in my Company, I should have replied “Sergt. Hill”. His men would have followed him anywhere, and were fearfully upset over his death. He never undertook any task without considering it thoroughly. There was never any need to supervise any of his work as he could always be relied upon to do it properly. His men have lost their best friend and their leader, and the Battalion has lost a first-class N.C.O. Please accept the very deepest sympathy of myself, brother officers, N.C.O.s, and men of this Company.”

25 August 1916

LETTERS FROM SILSDEN SOLDIERS

A further batch of letters have been received by Mrs. C. Sugden, of Bolton Road, Silsden, from local soldiers and sailors thanking the inhabitants of Silsden for the parcels which have been recently sent out to them. The following are extracts from some of the letters:–

Pte. W. Rawling writes:–“It feels grand to think that the inhabitants of Silsden do not forget us although we are so far away from home. We are now having splendid weather here, and I hope you are having the same. I was sorry to hear of the Silsden young men being killed in action, but we never know whose turn it is next; we have to thank God for being spared. We are looking forward to see the old lads again in the 9th and 10th when we get the chance, as by what I can make out they are not so far away from us. I am sorry to say that Sergt. R. Hill has been killed this last week. It is hard luck, as he was growing a fine lad. He was looking very well the last time I saw him.”

25 August 1916

LETTERS FROM SILSDEN SOLDIERS

A further batch of letters have been received by Mrs. C. Sugden, of Bolton Road, Silsden, from local soldiers and sailors thanking the inhabitants of Silsden for the parcels which have been recently sent out to them. The following are extracts from some of the letters:–

Lance Corporal F. Taylor, of the 1st 6th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, writes:– “The things that you sent me are very useful, and I thank the inhabitants of Silsden for sending such useful gifts. I see in the papers that a few Silsden lads have been killed, and we have had another Silsden lad killed – Sergt. Rowland Hill. He was in the same battalion as myself, but I did not see him killed. He was a nice lad and well liked in his company. We have had a hard time lately, but I have come through it all safe and sound so far. I am still in the best of health.”

27 October 1916

LETTERS FROM SILSDEN SOLDIERS

Mrs. C. Sugden, of Bolton Road, Silsden, has received another batch of letters from Silsden soldiers thanking the inhabitants of Silsden for parcels which have recently been sent to them. The following are extracts from some of the letters received:–

Writing from Egypt, Pte. John Robt. Wade states:–“Needless to say my friends and I enjoyed the contents of a most welcome parcel very much. I suppose I am about the only one from Silsden out this way. At any rate I have never heard of any, and it would be quite a pleasure to meet some Silsden boys, seeing that the last time I saw any was when I was home on leave. However, I hope it will not be long before we are all back again in Blighty, as the troops call it. I was very sorry indeed to hear of Sergt. Rowland Hill’s death, as he was a personal friend of mine. I see from the recent war news that we are making a great advance in France, and I sincerely hope they will continue as they have done recently, and so bring the war to an end.”

05 January 1917

INTERCESSION AND MEMORIAL SERVICE AT SILSDEN – Impressive Sermon by Rev. W. Dickinson.

An intercession and memorial service for the fallen heroes in the war was held at the Silsden Primitive Methodist Church on Sunday evening last. There was a large congregation, and the officiating minister was Rev. Wm. Dickinson (pastor). During the service the hymns 'O God our help in ages past,’ ‘Lord God of hosts, Whose Almighty hand,’ ‘God the all terrible! King Who ordainest,’ and ‘When wilt Thou save the people’ were sung. Miss Clara Fortune also ably sang the solo ‘O rest in the Lord,’ and at the close of the service the organist (Mr. Bernard Longbottom) played the ‘Dead march’ in ‘Saul,’ and the National Anthem was sung.

WAR A HARMFUL THING

Preaching from the text Psalm 46, 9th verse, ‘He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth,’ Mr. Dickinson said it seemed almost superfluous to say in this sad day in which we lived that war was a serious and harmful thing. It was, however, a great outstanding fact. When they looked at the expense even in times of peace, when nations made preparations for war, it was even then a great expense, but in days of actual warfare as to-day, when the nation was spending at least £5,000,000 a day, then it was that they were reminded that war was a serious thing from a financial point of view. They tried to have dreams or visions as to what would have been done with that money for philanthropic purposes and for the social amelioration of the people of this country, but the country had put those dreams or visions in the back ground. Then we had the cruelty of it, and the passions that it excited. It marched to hunger and thirst and wounds and death. Then we had the bereavements. Children were made orphans, women were made widows, and parents mourned over children and many were left childless. Then we also had the deplorable feelings produced by war, feeling of revenge, feelings that produced quarrelsomeness, a desire for power and an unholy lust of ambition. That was seen by the works of the great Napoleon, and also by the Kaiser and the Prussian War Lords. The question that now forced itself to the front was ‘Is all war morally wrong?’ We had a very high ideal, and we believed that war was all wrong. They read in the Old Book that David was not allowed to build the temple of the Lord because his hands had been stained by blood, and he was spoken of as a man of war. But, in these days we had to look at actual facts. What was the actual state today? When one side would prepare for war and was determined to declare war, what then could we do? That great poet in Russia called Tolstoy preached the doctrine of being passive, but when we came to think of it, could we be passive? If our homes were to be destroyed and our wives and children to be taken from us, could we be passive? Did it not arouse within us that spirit of manhood that we must assert ourselves and that we must fight? If we were not prepared to do that, all he could think was that we were cowards. They ought to bury their heads and be ashamed of themselves. In days of peace with one breath they would denounce all war, and yet in the very next breath they would ask the question why the Congo atrocities were not stopped even if force were necessary. To-day they looked upon a devastated Serbia, Montenegro, Belgium, and alas Roumania, and they came to the conclusion that there were worse things than war – Armenia and the Congo, and the slavery of the South Americans; and what would have been the slavery of Europe had it not been for the call to arms in a cause that was just and righteous?

A JUST AND RIGHTEOUS CAUSE

If it were not for that conviction that the cause for which they were at war was just and righteous, many of them would have failed to preach, to pray, or to look to God. But, it was that which gave them strength that they looked to him Who was the present help and refuge in their trouble. In their fight against war whom should they attack? Often in the past the attack was made upon the soldier. They could not do that to-day as far as this country war concerned. They had a great civilian army, and they were fighting for freedom, for righteousness, and for justice. They never wanted to be soldiers, they never wanted to fight, but the call had come and they could do no other. Who made war, and why should there be war? Not the soldier. In the days that were gone, it was more the civilian than the soldier, the civilian because he was represented by his Parliament and that Parliament as the representative of the civilian often made war, because the lust for power and the lust for gold had got hold of them. Then in the commercial world, amongst what was known as the ruling classes, there was generally speaking a disposition to make war because there was the old saying that trade followed the flag. The soldier fought because he was ordered to do. It was neither Roberts, Kitchener, nor Buller who made the Boer War. If anybody made it, it was Kruger, Milner, and Chamberlain, and it was made because they had greed for power, and an unholy ambition and wish for gold. If they went back through the pages of history, they would find that that was the source of war as far as this country was concerned. He had come to the conclusion that the man who shouted for war had an axe to grind. The man who shouted for war ought to be made to go and face the music and not to send others. What did soldiery stand for? Generally speaking it stood for the aggressive, the quarrelsome, the brute force. They could not say that of the civilian army that had been raised by this country. They were not aggressive, they were not quarrelsome, and neither could they say that they were asserting brute force. He was sorry to have to say it of the Central Powers where conscription had been reigning for so many years. It was the brute force and the aggressive power that they would have to abolish. But when they had said that, they were bound to come to the conclusion that

SOLDIERY HAS ITS GOOD POINTS

The soldier side by side with the doctor stood to give his life for his country and that was a great deal. He would advise anyone to pause before he sneered at a soldier. He stood between them and the enemy, and if it had not been for the brave men who had stood thus, where would they have been to-day? They had no words too high in their commendation and admiration and love for the civilians of this Empire, who had stood between them and the enemy in this time of crisis. The question came to each one of them what was their position and what were they doing in the national crisis that was before them, and still after all they came to the conclusion that the soldier's life as they saw it to-day was a regrettable necessity, that all those brave men should have to shoulder the musket and defend our shores and fight for the freedom, righteousness, and justice of a cause that none of them disputed. They regretted in this the 20th century that such a thing should have happened. It ought not to have come to pass, and it never would have come to pass if the great Central Powers of Europe had taken heed of the sayings of Christ, and had seen His crucified hands instead of the mailed fist, and if they had listened to His beatitudes instead of the philosophy of the German teachers. How were they to lessen those evils? They must attack the root, that lust for power, that quarrelsome spirit, and that unholy ambition that had dominated the great Central Powers. How were they to attack the root? By educating the people for peace at the proper time, and that perhaps was not just yet. It was an easy matter to give descriptions of the horrors of war, to speak of its abominations, and even to denounce statesmen and people who sanctioned war, but how few people there were who searched for methods by means of which war could be put down and destroyed. When the history of the war and the part which the British Empire had taken in it came to be written – he was not a prophet or the son of a prophet – he ventured to say that the writer would pay a fine testimony to the ex-Foreign Minister of this country (Sir Edward Grey) who night and day at the beginning or before the declaration of war strove with all the brain power he had, and with every ounce of strength, he could put in, to avert this great catastrophe. If to-day he was in the back ground, he would looked upon as one of the finest statesmen this country ever had. On what lines were they to educate people for peace? There was a form of Government not only to arrest this demon war, but to bind him in chains. What was it? A cosmopolitan administration or a great Federal Government of the world. They might be dreamers, but certainly there would come a day either in London, Paris, or New York, when there would be a great Federal Government, and that Government would help them to the day when wars would cease.

THE CHURCH'S ROLL OF HONOUR

Proceeding, Mr. Dickinson said he was sure he was voicing the feelings of all present when he said they sympathised very deeply with the families of Pte. Percy Kellett and Lance-Corpl. T.C. Green, both of whom were in hospital suffering from wounds. They prayed for their speedy recovery, and also that their parents and relatives might he comforted. Then they had Ptes. Bernard Locker and Gannett Longbottom, who were reported as missing, and it was hoped that before long good news would be heard of them. They had to add two other names – Pte. Dan Faulkner and Gunner W.H. Sutcliffe, both of whom had been killed in action – to their list of fallen who had been intimately associated with their church and Sunday-school. Mr. Dickinson then read a list of Silsden soldiers who had died serving their King and Country. They were as follows:– Pte. Harold Snoddin [Snowden], Pte. B. Hodgson, Pte. I. Wade, Pte. R. Spence, Pte. E. Hustwick, Gunner E. Lund, Pte. W. Gill, Pte. J. Faulkner, Pte. N. Holmes, Pte. R. Read, Pte. J. Gill, Pte. S. Wrigglesworth, Sergt. J. Baldwin, Sergt. R. Hill, Pte. Wm. Richmond, Pte. W.H. Teale, Corpl. F. Taylor, Pte. H. Harper, Pte. D. Faulkner, and Gunner W.H.Sutcliffe.

Mr. Dickinson also read the church's roll of honour, which comprised 110 names.

27 July 1917

SILSDEN

THE LATE SERGT. ROWLAND HILL

In the current issue of the Keighley Trade and Grammar School magazine appears the following reference to the late Sergt. Rowland Hill, of Silsden:– “Sergeant Rowland Hill was a pupil at the Keighley school from 1906 to 1910. After leaving, school he entered the business of his father as a manufacturer at Silsden, and was in that employment until he entered the army in October, 1914. Before enlisting he did service as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts, of which troop he was assistant scoutmaster. He went to France in June, 1916, and at once volunteered as a member of the Entrenching Battalion. He was killed in action, August 9th, 1916. As a boy at school he was always a most cheerful and zealous pupil, and was ever ready to do the duties allotted to him. From the testimony which his officers have given to him, it is quite confident that these qualities shone in his daily actions in the army.”

16 November 1917

SILSDEN

SCOUTS’ ROLL OF HONOUR

The following is a list of the Boy Scouts connected with the Silsden Parish Church Troop serving in the Army and Navy:– Scoutmaster Tom Ayrey, Sam Bancroft, Geoffrey Barrett, Tom B. Wilkinson, James Fry, Harold Newnes, Frank Steel, Lawrence Galvin, Edward Galvin (discharged), Duncan Wade, Jack Crossley, Ottewell Lodge, Frank Shackleton, Tom Stocks (Second-Lieutenant), Tom Shackleton, Ernest Bottomley, Edward Saddington, Ernest Shackleton, Fred Bancroft (Military Medal), Willie Bancroft, Tom Cooke, Harold Middleton, Cyril Riley, Alfred Spencer, Oswald Hill, Isaac Webster, Rowland Hill (killed), Norman Phillip (killed), Ernest, Hardcastle (killed), and David Mason (killed).

07 June 1918

SILSDEN’S FALLEN HEROES – Impressive Memorial Service

A service in memory of the gallant Silsden young men, who have recently given their lives for our country, was held at the Parish Church on Sunday morning last. There was a large congregation, and the service was conducted by Rev. E.E. Peters (vicar). Mr. Herbert Cooper presided at the organ, and the hymns sung were ‘The saints on earth and those above,’ ‘O God our help in ages past,’ and ‘God the all terrible King, who ordainest.’

The Vicar said they met that most perfect Sabbath morning amidst peaceful surroundings to worship God, and also to pay their tribute of love and respect to the memory of the brave men from that parish who had laid down their lives for them and their country. In the service they had just taken part in they had commemorated 69 men who had been killed in action or died of wounds, and he wished to refer to those young men who had recently fallen, and were closely connected with their church and Sunday school. The first was Sergt. W. Newnes, who had been missing for over a year, and who had now been presumed killed by the authorities. He was one of their best young men in every possible sense of the word. He was a communicant, Sunday-school teacher, and one who took a great interest in the physical side of life, being one of the leaders of their Physical Culture Class. He found that very useful, and when he joined the army in the early days of the war he was made an instructor in physical drill and became a sergeant. Pte. Ernest Hardcastle was killed last September, and they had heard from those who knew him that he was a good soldier. He was connected with the Sunday School, and like Sergt. Richard [Rowland] Hill did not forget his religion when he went in the army. Only a few weeks ago they lost another of their young men – Signaller Harry Barrett. He was treasurer of their Church of England Men’s Society, and a very keen member of their branch. When he joined the army he did so cheerfully, and was ready and anxious to do his duty. He became a good and efficient soldier. They all knew the charm of his manner and what a delightful fellow he was. Reference was also made to Second Lieut. T.D. Stocks and his connection with the Boy Scouts, Sergt. Rowland Hill, Pte. Orman Clarkson, who was accidentally drowned in the Persian Gulf, Air-Mechanic Albert Bradley and Sergt. Joe Bancroft, one of a large family of brothers serving, a young man of extraordinary gallantry who recently won the Military Medal a man who showed that he had in him the qualities which made the very last type of a soldier and who possessed those characteristics which were born with a man and could not be put into him. Pte. Sydney Plumb, who was killed last September, and one of five brothers serving. On behalf of the churchpeople of Silsden he (the Vicar) offered to the relatives of those men their deepest sympathy and their moat sincere and heartfelt gratitude for what they had done for them. He hoped that as long as that church remained and even if at any time a new church should be built, it would be the custom at least once a year to commemorate all the men who had fallen in the war. These gallant men had not gone into utter darkness, they had not been annihilated, but they lived more perfectly and more beautiful than ever before. Whether there men died in action or at home in England, they all did their duty, and they had all left behind them honoured memories. He was impressed and touched beyond all expression by the splendid courage which the women of that pariah had shown in these awful times. It was an inspiration to the men, for they had shown themselves to be worthy mothers and wives of heroes. In conclusion the Vicar said these men had given all. Shall we betray their trust make their deaths in vain. God forbid we shall not.

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