2nd Lieut Rowland Gill (MC) (MM)

• Age: 33
• From: Willington, Durham
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 19th April 1918
• Commemorated at: Tyne Cot Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 31-34

Photo courtesy of the IWM Lives Of The First World War website. 

Rowland Gill was born on 08th August 1884 in Durham, the son of the Reverend Daniel Gill and his wife Dorothy Margaret (nee Coates). He was Christened on 09th January 1885 at Allendale, Northumberland. His parents married in the September quarter of 1879 at Caistor, Lincolnshire.

On the 1891 census he is aged 6 born in Willington,Durham  and living with his parents and three siblings at Wesley Place,Hail Gate, Howden, Yorks. His father, Daniel is a 38 year old  Wesleyan Minister born in Kettleby, Leics, whilst his mother Dorothy M. is aged 34  and was born in Barnoldby-le-Beck, Lincolnshire. His siblings are recorded as; Margaret A. 9 born Willington, Durham, Daniel 7 also born in Willington, Durham, and Gertrude C. 8 months old and born in Howden. THe family employ two servants.  

In 1901 he was being educated at Kingswood School, Charlcombe, Somerset, but this time his place of birth was given as Allendale, Northumberland. Kingswood was a college for the education of the sons of Wesleyan Ministers. At this time his family had moved to 2 Oxford St, Marlborough St Mary, Wiltshire.

He entered Headingley College in Leeds for ministerial training.

His father died, aged 54, on 03rd April 1907 with the death being registered in Leicester.

Rowland entered the ministry in 1908.

The North Devon Journal reported on 10th September that year:

"Torrington - The new minister, the Rev. Rowland Gill, commenced his ministry at the Wesleyan Church on Sunday last, when he preached two most eloquent and impressive sermons. The rev. gentleman, who is only 24 years of age, is the second son of the late Rev. Daniel Gill, one time Wesleyan minister at Kilkhampton. He has come direct from Headingley College, Leeds."

On the 1911 Census, Rowland is aged 26, a Wesleyan Minister, boarding with the Batstone family at 9 Peasland Terrace, Sidmouth, Devon.

At the beginning of 1914 the Rev. Rowland Gill was the Wesleyan Methodist Minister for Aigburth Vale Church in Liverpool. 

He enlisted on August 31st, 1914 into the Royal Army Medical Corps as Private 31822.

The Driffield Times on 05th September 1914 reported his enlistment:

WESLYAN MINISTER TO THE FRONT

Rev. Rowland Gill, the newly appointed minister at Kilham, has sent a letter to the Society Stewards stating that he feels it is his duty to respond to the country's call for help at the front and he has offered his services to the nation, which have been accepted. The vacancy of the Kilham ministry will be filled at the discretion of the president of the conference later on.

He arrived with his unit in France on 21st May 1915.

In November 1916, he was awarded the Military Medal on the 21st Dec 1916 ‘for Bravery in the Field’ whilst serving as an orderly in 43rd Field Ambulance RAMC, in 14th Division, attached to 42 Brigade

He took a Commission on 25th April 1917 as a Second Lieutenant and was serving in the 17^th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment.

On 09th November 1916 the North Devon Journal reported in Torrington news on the award of the Military Medal to the Rev. Rowland Hill (sic), the first of their ministers to enlist as a private, and "his valour in the Somme engagements had secured him the award of the coveted medal".

He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery:

The Devon papers and the Liverpool Daily Post reported on 21st September 1917:

"The rev. Roland [sic] Gill, formerly minister of the Aigburth Vale Wesleyan Church, now serving in France as a second-lieutenant in the King's (Liverpool Regiment), has been awarded the Military Cross. Previous to this he was awarded the Military Medal while serving as a private in the R.A.M.C."

Rowland's citation for his Military Cross is in the Supplement to the London Gazette dated 09 January 1918 reads:

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Although wounded, he refused medical assistance, and led two platoons forward under machine-gun and shell fire. Later in the day, during heavy shelling of the front line, he walked from post to post across the open, encouraging and cheering the men, and when all the officers of his company had become casualties he took over command, and continued to command with exceptional skill and energy".

His MC citation was reported in the Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Daily Post on the 12th January 1918.

Rowland was killed in action on the 19^th April 1918, aged 33, during the German Spring Offensive.

The war diary mentions his demise;

'Patrolling was vigorous - 2Lt R Gill MC MM proceeded on patrol with 5 other ranks and enemy party was met, shots were exchanged and  Second Lt Gill was hit in the head and fell into a ditch, the remainder of the party returned at 4.10 am to our lines.'

A subsequent search party presumably sent out to find Rowland or his body, under Second Lt Crook, was fired on and he and another man were wounded. Second Lieutenant Crook was to die of his wounds on the 20^th April 1918.

Rowland's body was not found or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.

Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after August 16th 1917 are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war.

The Tyne Cot Memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett on 20 June 1927.

The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station.

His mother, then living at Santos, Tower Road, Worthing, Sussex, made enquiries with the International Red Cross but was notified on 10th June 1918 that they held no information on Rowland.

Miss M. E. William of Kilmorie(?) Street, Hants (address incomplete, relationship unknown) also made enquiries and received the same response on 20th November 1918.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post 22nd March 1919

WESLEYAN METHODISM 

The Rev. Rowland Gill who recently was Minister in Preston and Liverpool (St. John's) Circuits, and after serving in the ranks took a commission and won the MC and MM, is found to have been killed in action

Soldiers Effects to mother Dorothy Margaret including a War Gratuity of £15. There is no award of a pension most likely because Rowland lived independently and had no dependents.

Probate was granted in 1919 to his mother. 

Gill, Rowland of Santos Tower Road, Worthing, died 19 April 1918 in France. London 16th October to Dorothy Margaret Gill widow effects £93 17s 9d

He is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Aigburth Methodist Church War Memorial, having been the Minister of Aigburth Vale Church 1913-1914

Wesleyan College, Headingley, Leeds

Kingswood School, Bath, Somerset

He is also commemorated on the family grave at Scalford Chapelyard, Melton Borough, Leicestershire

In Loving Memory of Their Son ROWLAND 

Killed and Missing in France

19 April 1918 Aged 33 Years

Forever With The Lord

His mother died on 12th March 1936, aged 78. The death was registered in Melton Mowbray.

We currently have no further information on Rowland Gill, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.