Wallace Hillier

Wallace married Hilda and moved to Oxford, where he worked as a bank cashier before enlisting. Hilda heard of Wallace’s death at about the time their son was born.

Born in Leicester

Wallace Leigh Hillier was born between in 1890 in Leicester. In 1911 he was living in Bristol with his parents, working as a bank clerk. In October 1914 he married Hilda, a fancy goods clerk, in Bristol. The couple seem to have moved to Oxford straight away, where he worked as a bank cashier, and enlisted in December 1915.

Reached France in 1916

Wallace joined the 2nd Battalion of the Honourable Artillery Company as a private. This was an infantry unit that moved around the London area, and only set off for the front in 1916, arriving in Le Havre in October. It was in action in February 1917 at Buquoy, and in the Battle of Arras in May.

Heavy casualties

On 9 October 1917 the unit took part in the Battle of Poelcapelle, one of the opening actions of the Battle of Passchendaele. Some objectives were achieved but the conditions were bad and casualties heavy. Wallace’s body was not recovered, but it was accepted that he died that day, aged 27.  It appears that Hilda gave birth to a son, Kenneth John, at about the time that news of Wallace’s death reached her. She received nearly £300 in probate. Wallace is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Passchendaele.