Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Terlincthun British Cemetery | IV. F. 26 Pas de Calais | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 32A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Family tree research shows that Hamilton was born in Jamaica on November 9, 1887 to mother is Helen Eliza Brown and father Charles Farquharson Tilley. He married Dorothy Church McMurchy on 20th August 1917.It appears that he became a bank clerk with the Royal Bank of Canada and has a connection with Nipissing, Ontario where he married, Limon in Costa Rica where his RBC branch was located and Jamaica where his masonic Lodge is located. His movement also shows entry into New York on 30th July 1907.
Education & Career :
The early movements of Hamilton Sylvester Taylor Tilley are alluded to by an entry against its WW1 commemorative site: http://www.rbc.com/history/celebrating-our-history/in-remembrance/wwi-roll-of-honour.html#t
PRIVATE TILLEY, born at Pedro, Jamaica, November 9, 1887. Home in North Bay, Ontario. Joined North Bay branch of the Traders Bank of Canada, November 10, 1908. Enlisted from Limon, Costa Rica, September 30, 1917, and served with the 54th Battalion. Wounded on September 29, 1918, at Bourlon Wood. Died in the 53rd General Hospital, Boulogne, October 8, 1918.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 54th Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment) |
| Action : The Final Advance in Flanders |
28 September - 11 November 1918. As the pressure mounted in other sectors the opportunity was seized to escape the confines of the Ypres Salient. Within five days the British Second Army had pushed the Germans back over the 1917 battlefield and were advancing on Courtrai. After action at Courtrai the advance continued into Belgium until the Armistice on 11th November.
Rank: Private
Service Number: 3030302
54th Battalion (British Columbia Regiment) Canadian Infantry
Detail :
A postcard sent a few months before by Hamilton to a family member says "France. Sep 8/1918 - Dear [...], Just a line to let you know I am well + not faring too badly. I intended to send you one of these [postcards] as a souvenir of my visit to the seaside + do not remember if I sent it. Anyhow here's another + hope you are all very well. Best of the best. Yours, Taylor" ... "From P/e HT Tilley 3030302" "P.S. Up at the front again, I sent you a card on July 10 [1918].
The CEF Commonwealth War Graves Register corroborates more detail and shows that H.S.T. Tilley, died of wounds on 8.10.1918 at No. 53 Gen. Hospital, Boulougne and that he is buried at the TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY ; Pas de Calais, France. Grave Reference: IV. F. 26
It is noted that he signs as Taylor and not as is first name, and that he excludes the name Sylvester from other documents.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Kingston No. 1933 E.C. | Jamaica & The Caymans |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
7th April 1915 | - | - |
Joined April 7, 1915 from the Canadian Constitution. Noted as a Clerk from Kingston who "Died Oct 1918"
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley