This man is a candidate for addition to Keighley's Supplementary Volume under the proposal to add further names in 2024, the centenary of the original roll of honour.
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Supported by the National Lottery's Heritage Fund, our project intends to submit about 120 names for peer review to add them to the book which is kept at Keighley Library. The unveiling of the book with it's new names is planned for November 2024, 100 years after the unveiling of the original war memorial.

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1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment. No. 3205.

Early life:

Rowland was born in Lothersdale in 1896 and he was baptised at Lothersdale Parish Church on 3rd May.
The son of Joseph and Ethel Hill. His father was a clerk in a worsted and cotton factory. His mother Ethel died aged 24 years in February 1897, as his father later remarried (to Mary).
Aged 5 years in 1901, he was living at 'Mill Yard' Lothersdale with parents Joseph and Mary Hill and sister Gertrude. In 1906, aged 10 years he was a pupil at Keighley Trade and Grammar school and left there in 1910 to attend Bradford Technical College. He also served as Assistant scoutmaster of the Silsden Parish Church Troop of Boy Scouts. In 1911 the family was at 32, South View Terrace, Silsden and he was working as a warehouse assistant in a cotton factory.

War service:

He entered the Army in October 1914. and went to France on 29th June 1915 with the 1/6th Battalion West Riding Regiment.
He served with the battalion for just over a year, carrying out his service in the front lines, mostly in the area around Ypres Canal Bank, The Farms, Herzeele, Wormhoudt and Senlis before moving to Thiepval in June 1916, where they were involved in extensive trench operations. On the 9th August a shell landed amongst a group of men. Two men were killed and four wounded as detailed in the war diary below:

1/6th West Riding Regiment War diary entry WO-95/2801/2 for part of August 1916.

For reference to this part of the front line, refer to this map:

Northern Bluff, Authuille.
9th: A quiet day except for odd shells fired by enemy. Our artillery cut enemy wire.

7.30 pm: Enemy trench mortared the left company heavily, firing about four minenwerfer, and seventy lighter trench mortar bombs. Our sixty pounder retaliated with about twenty rounds.
The battalion was relieved by 1/7 West Riding Regiment at 9 pm and moved back up the BLUFF. D Company found garrisons for the MILL, MACMAHON'S POST, and MILL KEEP.

Casualties: -
Lieutenant H. H. Peet was wounded in the face by shrapnel, 3205 Sergeant Rowland Hill and 2150 Corporal T. Walker were killed. 4434 Sergeant G. Fieldhouse, 4838 Private J. Potter and 838 Company Sergeant Major W. J. Robinson were wounded by shell splinters. Rowland was 20 when he died.

Keighlian Magazine obituary, dated July 1917:

Sergeant Rowland Hill was a pupil from 1906 to 1910. After leaving School he entered business with his father as a manufacturer at Silsden and was in that employment until he entered the Army in October, 1914. Before entering the Army he did service as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts, of which troop he was Assistant Scoutmaster. He went to France in June, 1916*, and at once volunteered as a member of the Entrenching Battalion. He was killed in action August 9, 1916.
As a boy at school he was always a most cheerful and zealous pupil, and was always ready to do the duties allotted to him.
From the testimony which his officers have given to him it is quite evident that these qualities shone forth in his daily actions in the Army.
Major Alfred B. Clarkson in a letter to his father says:-
"Please allow me to express my deepest sympathy with you in your great loss. Your son was in my old company, and I had formed a very high opinion of him. He was - I say it without exaggeration - the most promising NCO I have come across. He was so very keen on his work, paid such close attention to anything he was doing; he was capable, intelligent, and above all, a brave man. It was my privilege to see a good deal of him, and I always found him to be a delightful fellow and in every way one of the cheeriest I have known. He never failed me in anything, and would without doubt have made a name for himself had he been spared. Since I handed over the command of the Company to Captain Clough, I have on several occasions asked how your son was doing. The reply was always the same, and only the day before he was killed Captain Clough told me what an excellent NCO he was."

*Actually June 1915.

Keighley News dated July 28, 1917 page 7:

THE LATE SERGEANT ROWLAND HILL.
Amongst the many reference to old boys who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their King and country in the recent issue of the Keighley School Magazine is one of the late Sergeant Rowland Hill, of Silsden, which reads as follows: "Sergeant Rowland Hill was a pupil at the Keighley Trade and Grammar School from 1906 to 1910. After leaving the school he entered the business of his father as a manufacturer at Silsden, and was in that employment until he entered the Army in October, 1914. Before entering the Army he did service as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts, of which troop he was assistant scoutmaster. He went to France in June, 1916, and at once volunteered as a member of the Entrenching Battalion. He was killed in action August 9, 1916. As a boy at school he was always a most cheerful and zealous pupil, and was always ready to do the duties allotted to him. From the testimony which his officers have given to him it is quite evident that those qualities shone in his daily actions in the Army."

Keighley News obituary dated 19th August 1916:

SILSDEN. KILLED BY A SHELL - FINE TRIBUTES TO A SERGEANT.
Still another addition to the already long list of Silsden casulaties, Mr Joseph Hill, of South View, Silsden, received information that his son, Sergeant Rowland Hill of the West Riding Regiment, had been killed instantaneously by the bursting of a shell. A high compliment was paid to the work done by Sergeant Hill in letters dated August 6, written by two of his officers, which have been received by his parents. Major A.B. Clarkson writes as follows: "It is with great regret that I have to write and inform you that your son was killed early this morning by the bursting of a shrapnel shell. He was assisting and superintending his men, who were working in a new trench, and the same shell wounded his officer and another sergeant.
"Please allow me to express my deepest sympathy with you in your great loss. Your son was in my old company, and I had formed a very high opinion of him. He was - I say it without exaggeration - the most promising NCO I have come across. He was so very keen on his work, paid such close attention to everything he was doing; he was capable, intelligent, and above all, a brave man. It was my privilege to see a good deal of him, and I always found him to be a delightful fellow and in every was one of the cheeriest I have known. He never failed me in anything, and would without doubt have made a name for himself had he been spared. Since I handed over the command of the Company to Captain Clough, I have on several occasions asked how your son was doing. The reply was always the same, and only the day before he was killed Captain Clough told me what an excellent NCO he was.
I understand that death was instantaneous. He will be buried this afternoon in a little cemetery where several of of our men lie, and the service will be read by our chaplain. It is my intention to attend. Your son has made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country willingly and cheerfully, and I trust that this will be some consolation to you in your great grief."
The other letter is from Captain Clough, who says: "It is with the very deepest sorrow that i have to tell you of the death of your son, which took place at 1.15 this morning. At the time of his death he was working at a new communication trench, being in charge of the platoon. He was standing talking to another sergeant and an officer when a single shell burst right amongst the three of them, and a small piece of shrapnel entered your son's head just above the right eye, killing him instantly. I was on my way to visit his platoon at the time, and arrived there ten minutes after it had happened. The body was at once taken away on a stretcher, and will be buried today in a cemetery about a quarter of a mile behind the firing line. We are all very much upset. He was a very fine
fellow and will be very much missed in the battalion. Such men as he are very hard to replace. If I had been asked to say who was the most popular NCO in my company I should have said 'Sergeant Hill' His men would have followed him anywhere, and we are all fearfully upset. He never undertook a job without completey finishing it, and there was never any need to supervvise any of his work. His men have lost their best friend, and their leader and the battalion has lost a first class NCO. Please accept the very deepest sympathy of myself, brother officers, NCO's and men of this company."
Sergeant Hill, who was only 20 years of age, was educated at the Keighley Trade and Grammar School, and had also completed a session at the Bradford Technical College. Before enlisting in October of 1914 he was assistant scoutmaster of the Silsden Parish Church Troop of Boy Scouts.

He was buried in Paisley Avenue Cemetery at 57d.Q.30.d.3.2. The site of this cemetery can be seen on Google Street View here, taken in 2008. On the horizon, the huge Thiepval Memorial can be seen:

After the war his grave along with a number of others, was clearly marked with a cross. They were moved from Paisley Avenue Cemetery to concentrate the graves into a larger cemetery called Lonsdale No. 1 Cemetery, Authuille. His final burial place is at Plot VII., Row E, Grave 4.
It is located near to Authuille in the Somme region of France.

Post war:

He is remembered on the Silsden War Memorial. and in the 'Keighlian' Magazine Roll of Honour for Keighley Boys Grammar School.

Rowland's sister Gertrude was the sole legatee in his will and she received the sum of £7 6s 5d on 24th January 1917. A war gratuity of £11 was also paid to her, on 4th September 1919.

Rowland's father Joseph received a dependant's pension of 5 shillings per week beginning on 6th November 1918. Initally Joseph was still living at Silsden but moved to Oakworth around this time.
It's unclear who received his medals, bronze memorial plaque and King's scroll inscribed with his name.
His medals were the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Information sources:

West Yorkshire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910
West Yorkshire, England, Deaths and Burials, 1813-1985
1901 England Census
1911 England Census
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
Main photo of Rowland Hill from Oakbank school archives.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
Keighlian transcription and oval photo, from the private collection of Andy Wade.
National Library of Scotland mapping service
National Archives war diary - WO-95/2801/2
Google Street View.