Soldier Record
William Stiling
Contributed by: Matthew Hill, on 2008-11-06
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | William |
| Surname | Stiling |
| Year of Birth | 1892 |
| Year of Death | 1976 |
| Regiment | Devonshire Regiment |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Exeter, Devon |
William's Story
This was a Obituary in a paper about him:
Jersey in 1914.
The death of a great war hero
Mr Stiling served in the 1st Devons as a signal sergent for 14 years. He won the Military Medal during the great war. He was licensee of the Greyhound Inn, Fenny Bridges for 8 years and a telephonist for the GPO untill he retired.
Records from the regimental museum show that 22.8.14 is his date of entry into a theatre of war and not his date of enlistment. He also received a clasp for his 1914 star which showed he came under fire between August and November 1914.
The 1st Battalion were in Jersey from 1911 to July 1914 so he was serving before the outbreak of war, and if he did indeed have 14 years service, leaving in 1922, he must have joined in 1908. Having said that, he would not have been 18 until 1910. He may have joined earlier as a boy soldier but he could not sign a regular contract until he was 18. A short service contract was 12 years so 1910 - 1922 would sound right. He is on our list of MM winners in World War 1.
No additional memories have been submitted