Harold Gill (1919-2003): Timeline

Through reading the autobiography written by Harold Gill, it is possible to determine an assumed timeline of his life based on the information he has provided within the text. Here is a quick overview of how Harold Gill spent his life.

Timeline

1919: Born

1923: Started school

1928- 1929: Became an altar boy

1929: Hit by a motorcycle (story in Lancashire Evening Post)

1931: Church parade

July 1939: ‘Call up papers could be on their way’ – Called into army service

Sept 3rd 1939: start of the war with Germany

Christmas 1939: first leave for 48 hours

Late summer 1940: Moved to Bugeley in Staffordshire

May 1941: Led him to join 5th battn (battalion) Loyals. Became the 19th Battn Reccecorps, 5th Loyals at Medeley in Cheshire.

1942: Singapore. Their ship was bombed on the way to war after 6 weeks leaving England. Immediately taken prisoner.

1943: Bampong – flood at camp.

March 1944: suffered 2 years in captivity.

Autumn 1944: no nearer to freedom.

Summer 1945: story about how his friend doesn’t get released from the hospital after getting beaten up by guards. (Near end of war he states).

1945- 1946: Must have been released and gone back to England, states he only spent 4 years at war.

1946- 1948: Convalesced for 2 years after his release from the prisoner of war camp.

1984-1985: Must have written autobiography around this time as he states a vantage point of 35-40 years when writing this.

July 1987: Brunel University Library – This is when he submitted the ms to Brunel University Library. His work was written in typescript.

2003: Year of death – age 83

 

By Joanne Gibson and Alexandra Meadwell

References:

Gill, Harold, Untitled, TS, pp.66 (c. 31,000 words). Brunel University Library, July 1987.

Pictures: 

Ancestry.com: