J GILL

170th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
Service No: 86555
Born: 8 April 1878, Painswick, Gloucestershire
Presumed Killed in Action: 18 March 1916, France | Aged 37
Commemorated at Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France (Panels 4 & 5)

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John William Gill was born on 8 April 1878 in Painswick, Gloucestershire, the son of Albert and Mary Gill. He was one of a large family with a brother, Charles, four sisters—Thirza, Elizabeth, Ann, Emily, and Sarah—and half-sisters Florence, Ada, and Doris.

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In the 1881 Census, John was listed as a three-year-old living in Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire. Both of his parents were recorded as farm labourers, and the family included his siblings Thirza (8), Charles (5), and Elizabeth (1).

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On 14 February 1900, at the age of 21, John enlisted in Risca and joined the South Wales Borderers as Private 16028. He served in:

·        South Africa during the Second Boer War, from 17 October 1900 to 11 November 1902.

·        India from 12 November 1902 to 10 January 1908.

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After returning to Britain, he married Mabel Horne in April 1910. The 1911 Census shows them living in Penrhiwceiber, Rhondda Cynon Taf, with their young daughter Virtue May, aged 1. In October 1912, they welcomed a son, William Henry Gill.

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Tragically, Mabel passed away from pneumonia just two weeks after William’s birth. Due to John serving in the war and the death of his wife Mabel, guardianship of their children was entrusted to immediate family members. Virtue May was placed under the care of Mabel’s sister, Elizabeth Ann, and her husband Edmund George Payne, who lived in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil. Meanwhile, William Henry was cared for by Mabel’s brother, Albert Horne, and his wife Ethel, who lived in Penpedairheol, Hengoed, near Gelligaer.

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“Mabel died from pneumonia a fortnight after my grandfather William Henry Gill was born. William and his sister Virtue May were looked after by Mabel’s sister Elizabeth in Merthyr. I think John William moved from Penrhiwceiber to Troedrhiwfuwch to be nearer to his children. My mother said that her father told her that his father John used to visit them every weekend. All his army pay and his next of kin went to his sister-in-law Elizabeth.”
– Andrea Richards, Great-Granddaughter

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When war broke out, John once again answered the call to serve. He enlisted at Newport and joined the 170th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, as Sapper 86555. These specialist units undertook some of the most dangerous work of the war, digging tunnels beneath enemy lines to plant explosives or create underground shelters.

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John entered the Western Front on 2 May 1915. He was later presumed killed in action on 18 March 1916, in France. Notification of his death was received on 8 April 1916—his 38th birthday.

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John has no known grave, but he is remembered with honour on the Loos Memorial, which commemorates over 20,000 British soldiers with no known resting place.

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🕊️ “A devoted father, a loyal soldier. Though his name is etched in stone far from home, his memory is kept alive in the stories passed down by his family.”

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