Hospital Ship St. Andrew
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Alexander Tillott one of 9 children, of whom only 8 survived, was the second born of 7 sons and 1 daughter, offspring of Alfred and Emily Tillott. His father was born in 1865 at Blaine, Monmouthshire, Wales, whose parents had moved to Lancashire by the time he was 7 years old. Alfred was married in 1887 to Emily McKee native of Ardwick, Lancashire, born 1865. It is unclear whether they were married in England or in America where their son James Alfred was born in 1888, however they had returned to England within 2 years. Having settled at York, Yorkshire, Alexander was born there in 1889 and Frederick Oswald in 1891 whilst they were living at 1, Victoria Place, Micklegate, York, Alfred was employed as a railway boiler maker. Over the next 5 years Emily gave birth to a further 4 sons, Robert Harold 1893, Leonard 1894, John Robert 1896 and Norman in 1898. Alfred maintained his employment with the railway as a boiler maker, in 1901 son James Alfred (13) was a telegraph messenger, although the younger children, with the exception of Norman, were all of school age they are not listed as such. Their youngest child, a girl born in 1902 was named Olive. Ten years later, James Alfred was married and had left home, his elder brothers were now in full time employment, Alexander (21) as a grocer, Frederick (19) a general labourer, Robert (18) is listed as White Smith apprentice, general engineer, Leonard (17) a general labourer, John (15) a caretaker’s assistant, Norman (13) and Olive (9) attended school, Alfred’s niece Florence Tillott (20) lived with them assisting with the general chores. They occupied 5 rooms at 69, Long Close Lane, York.
Alexander had taken the decision to migrate to County Durham, settling in the district of Lanchester where he met Miss Sarah Agnes Lamb born 1891 at Hill Top, County Durham, with whom he had a child, Emily, born May 9th 1913. Alexander and Sarah were married a few months later during the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1913 settling at Esh Laude, County Durham where he was employed as a miner.
When war was declared with Germany Alexander Tillott left his employment and enlisted at Durham, September 5th 1914 appointed Private 15893 and posted to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Depot, Northumberland. The new recruits departed from Newcastle for Bullswater Camp in Surrey, September 16th 1914, where they were divided into the 12th and 13th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and the 10th and 11th Northumberland Fusiliers. Private Tillott was posted to the 13th D.L.I. and promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. The onset of winter made the tented camp at Bullswater unusable, the 12th and 13th Battalions were moved in November to Malplaquet Barracks at Aldershot, then on to Ashford in Kent and finally Bramshott in Hampshire. The men had been training all these months wearing their own clothes, firstly issued with blue serge uniforms it was not until February that khaki uniforms were distributed and all equipment. Lance Corporal Tillott had also risen through the ranks to Corporal, January 22nd 1915, by June 15th 1915 to Lance Sergeant. Attached to the 68th Brigade, 23rd Division, August 26th 1915 the battalions crossed to France, landing at Boulogne and concentrating at Tilques. The division moved to Merris-Vieux Berquin area for trench familiarisation under the more experienced 20th and 27th Divisions before taking over the front line sector between Ferme Grande Flamengrie to the Armentieres-Wez Marquart road. They were spared the huge losses of the disastrous Battle of Loos spending the remainder of the winter of 1915 and early 1916 in the trenches at Armentieres and Souchez, January 29th 1916 Alexander was promoted to the rank of Acting Sergeant.
At the end of January, they were withdrawn to the Bruay sector for a period of rest before returning to front line duty March 3rd 1916, taking over the sector between Boyau de L’Ersatz and the river Souchez from the French 17th Division. Many of the men with mining experience were temporarily transferred during March to a Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers. After a second rest period at Bruay mid-April to mid-May they again took over in the Souchez sector where the 23rd Division and its artillery were in support during the attack at Vimy Ridge.
June 11th 1916 the Division was moved to the Somme sector beginning intensive training in preparation for the commencement of the Battles of the Somme. Due to commence June 29th but delayed by bad weather, on the morning of July 1st 1916 the Battle of Albert began, the 13th Battalion Durham Light Infantry did not enter into the fighting until July 7th at La Boisselle, Acting Sergeant Tillott was promoted to Sergeant July 14th 1916 and that same day, wounded in the shoulder of his left arm. Evacuated back through the lines by the Field Ambulance he was taken to the hospital centre at Rouen, repatriated aboard the hospital ship St Andrew to England and admitted to the Sherborne School in Dorset which for the duration of the war became known as Greenhill Auxiliary Hospital run by the 70th Voluntary Aid Detachment.
He remained in hospital for 40 days until his discharge, August 23rd 1916, when he was sent to the 3rd Battalion Durham Light Infantry, part of the Tyne Defences at South Shields and Jarrow. The 3rd Battalion was charged with training new recruits and re=training the recovering wounded. January 1917 he was considered fit enough to return to the front, departing with the British Expeditionary Force, arriving at the 35th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples, January 10th 1917. Five days later he was posted to the 20th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, however, he was reposted to the Depot on the 23rd and on to the 23rd Division Reinforcement Camp, February 12th 1917.
Sergeant Tillott re-joined the 13th Battalion D.L.I. in the field still attached to the 23rd Division fighting on the Ypres salient at Klein Zillebeke during the 3rd Battle of Ypres, July 7th, until they left France in October 1917 bound for northern Italy. Serving in the trenches on the River Piave and the Asiago Plateau, before the advance across the Piave they were withdrawn and returned to France in September 1918 participating during the final advance on the Western Front attached to the 74th Brigade, 25th Division. During September 1918 they were at St. Requier and by the end of October the 13th Battalion had lost more than 300 men killed or wounded.
Sergeant 15893 Alexander Tillott Durham Light Infantry was amongst the October casualties, killed in action, October 15th 1918 during the Final Advance in Picardy in the run-up to the Battle of the Selle. He was initially buried in the Communal Cemetery German Extension at Beaurevoir with 69 others who had been killed during 1917-1918. After the Armistice these servicemen were exhumed and brought into rows AA, BB, B, C and G of Beaurevoir British Cemetery, Aisne, France, for reburial with all honour and reverence by an Army chaplain. Sergeant Tillott is at rest grave C. 5, at the time of his demise in 1918 he was 29 years of age.
His widow Sarah Agnes received all monies due to him by the Army, a pension as of May 5th 1919 of 22 shilling 11 pence a week for herself and their daughter also his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 26, Hill Top, Ushaw, County Durham.
She re-married in the district of Lanchester in 1921 to Thomas E Dale. Details as regards the demise of Sarah Agnes Dale-Tillott nee Lamb as yet unknown.
At the time of Alexander’s demise his widowed mother was living at 69, Long Close Lane, York, with 4 of his 7 brothers and sister Olive. Emily Tillott nee McKee died in the district of Bulmer, Yorkshire, March 29th 1941 aged 74 years.
Although all of Alexanders brothers would have been eligible to serve during WW1 only the record of Leonard Tillott has been found. He left his employment as a warehouseman and enlisted aged 21 years at York, January 18th 1915, assigned to the Royal Field Artillery, Gunner 82042 and 197605. He served in France during 1915 and Salonica 1916-1918. Having served for the entire duration of the war, after the Armistice of November 11th 1918 he was transferred to Class Z, March 4th 1919 at Dover, free to return to his civil occupation but under the obligation, should hostilities resume with Germany, to be re-called. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles, June 28th 1919, finally brought the conflict of WW1 officialyl to an end. Awards 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Leonard Tillott died in the district of York in 1958.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Alexander Tillott is remembered as Tillet at Esh Laude on E73.01 and at Stanley on S135.03
He is also remembered as Private A. Tillott in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 275
