Stockwell War Memorial

Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens

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Alfred Harold Holman

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A. H. Holman
Service no. 34678
Gunner, Royal Field Artillery, 182nd Bde.
Enlisted in Chelsea; lived in Clapham
Died of wounds aged about 23 on 11 May 1916
Remembered at Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos, France

Brother of John Orlando Holman, whose CWGC entry states that the family lived at 45 Jeffreys Road, Stockwell.

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 Alfred Harold Holman, an 18-year-old warehouse porter, lived in 4 rooms at 45 Riverhall Street, South Lambeth with his mother Sarah Jane McQuillin, 49, her husband Stephen McQuillin, 49, and 4 of his 6 brothers. Sarah Jane was a domestic servant and was born in Yeovil, Somerset. Stephen was a fitter’s labourer, born in Walworth. Sarah’s children were:
Percy Holman, 24, a general labourer, born in South Lambeth (as were all the children)
Ernest Holman, 21, a gardener
Alfred Holman 18, a warehouse porter
John [Orlando] Holman, 15, a junior clerk
Bertie Holman, 13

In 1901 the widowed Sarah J. Holman lived at 10, Thorne Street, Lambeth with her 7 sons.

Bertie Hoft

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B. C. Hoft
Service no. 10050
Private, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 10th Battalion
Born in Lambeth; enlisted in Battersea
Died of wounds at around age 19 on 7 May 1916
Remembered at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension (Nord), France

Information from the 1911 census

Bertie Hoft and his brother Hermann Hoft (who served in the war and survived) were sons of Hermann Hoft. Hermann Senior, 47, worked as a syrup maker for a mineral water factor. He was born in Germany. His wife, Christiana Hoft, 48, was born in St George’s, London. They had 6 children:
Christiana M. Hoft, 21
Hermann L. Hoft, 19, a van guard in the mineral water factory
James F. Hoft, 17, a builder’s labourer
George C. Hoft, 15, a machine cleaner in a tobacco factory
Bertie C. Hoft, 13, at school and working as a newsboy
Lilian M. Hoft, 10
All were born in Lambeth.
Two boarders lived with the family: Elizjah Gathercole, 22, a single baker from Brandon, Norfolk, and William E. Wright, 32, a married butcher from Newbury, Berkshire.

Information from the 1901 census

In 1901 the family lived at 65 Bond Street, Lambeth.

Alfred Hine

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A. Hine
Driver, Royal Field Artillery, “A” Bty. 280th Bde.
Service no. 925397
Died of wounds on 7 September 1917
“Son of Thomas George and Frances Hine, of 24, Union St., Clapham, London.”
Brother of William Frederick Hine
Remembered at Nunhead (All Saints) Cemetery, south-east London

Information from the 1911 census

Alfred and William F. Hine were sons of licensed victuallers Thomas Hine, 51, born in St. Pancras, north London and Frances Hine, 46, born in Bethnal Green, east London. There were six children:
Florence Hine, 21, assisting in the business, born in St. Pancras
Thomas Hine, 19, an upholsterer, born in St. Pancras
William F. Hine, 17, a shop assistant, born in Bethnal Green
Alfred Hine, 15, an engineer’s assistant, born in Bethnal Green
Ellen Hine, 13, born in Stockwell
A daughter, Elizabeth Hine, 22, lived elsewhere.
In 1911 the family was living in nine rooms at 36 Grove Road, Upper Holloway. In 1901, however, they were living at 15 Wilcox Road, South Lambeth.

William George Hilton

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W. G. Hilton
Service no. 688
Private, East Surrey Regiment, 7th Battalion
Died of wounds age 21 on 5 October 1915
CWGC: “Son of Sarah Annie Hilton, of 1 Trigon Road, Clapham, London.”
Remembered at Chocques Military Cemetery, France

Brother of Frederick Hilton

Information from the 1901 census

In 1901 William Hilton was 8 and living with his family at 70 Harleyford Road. His father, also called William, was 36 and working as a house porter. William (Senior) was born in Worcester. His wife, Sarah A. Hilton, 30, was born in Lambeth. Annie E. Hilton, 10, William G. Hilton, and Frederick Hilton, 4, were all born in Lambeth.

John Thomas Hills

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J. T. Hills
Rifleman, London Regiment, 1st/17th Battalion
Born in Chelsfield, Kent; enlisted in Lambeth; lived in Stockwell
Died of wounds age 38 on 30 November 1917
CWGC: “Son of Tom and Elizabeth Hills, of Well Hill, Chelsfield, Kent; husband of Emma Harriet Hills, of 31 Hargwyne Street, Stockwell, London.”
Remembered at Orival Wood Cemetery, Flesquieres, France

NATIONAL ROLL OF THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918

HILLS, J. T., Rflmn., 1/17th London Regt. (Rifles)
He joined in 1916, and in the same year embarked for France. Whilst on the Western Front he fought in the Battle of the Somme and in an engagement at St. Eloi. He died gloriously on the Field of Battle at Arras in November 1917, and was entitled to the General Service and Victory Medals.
“And doubtless he went in splendid company.”
31, Hargwyne Street, Stockwell Road, S.W.9.

Information from the 1911 census

John Thomas Hills was a dustman. In 1911, aged 31, he lived with his wife Emma Hills, who was from Crockenhill, Kent in 3 rooms at 31 Hargwyne Street, Stockwell. They had one child: Dorothy Hills, 6, who was born in Lambeth.

Albert Edward Hills

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A. E. Hills
Service no. 62590
Private, Royal Fusiliers, 9th Battalion
Died 15 June 1917, aged about 21
Remembered at Niederzwehren Cemetery, Kassel, Germany

This identification was made by Chris Burge, who writes:

Albert Edward Hills was born in 1896, then the youngest of the six children of parents Eugene Frederick (aka Thomas) and Sarah Hills. Albert was baptised as an infant on 20 May 1896 at St Stephen’s Church, South Lambeth. The family were then living in Beech Street. Albert’s sister Ethel, born around 1899, was the final addition to the family.

The 1911 census finds Albert living with his father, sisters Alice and Ethel, and older brother James. His father worked as a slater, James as a bricklayer’s labourer and Albert was 14-year-old office boy. The five adults occupied five rooms at 7 Beech street, South Lambeth (the address no loner exist but it was off the south side of Dorset Road), an area of social deprivation according to Charles Booth’s earlier poverty map.

Whether Albert was conscripted in 1916 or volunteered at the end of 1915 is not known. In any case, he appears to have initially enlisted at Westminster, London, joining the 2 Battalion, County of London Yeomanry as Private 2829, Hills. This was a training unit sending drafts of men to the front at regular intervals. The medal roll entry for Albert shows he was in France by 10 January 1917 and posted to the 9/Royal Fusiliers on 6 February as private 62590, Hills. It was Albert’s fate to be thrown into the cauldron of the Arras offensive in April and May of 1917.

Albert Edward Hills was taken prisoner near Monchy on 3 May 1917 with a grenade wound in the right knee. He was moved from Limberg to Hameln POW camp. He developed tetanus and died in the camp hospital on 15 June 1917 and was originally buried in the Hameln camp cemetery.

Albert’s father and sister Alice continued to live at 7 Beech Street in the 1920s, and later at Alverstone House, Lambeth. Albert’s father Eugene Frederick Hills passed away in 1941, aged 82.