Billy Sing
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William Edward Sing DCM (1886-1943) was an Australian soldier of World War I, who was born in Clermont, Queensland, in 1886, of Anglo-Chinese ancestry, to John Sing (of Shanghai, China) and Mary Anne Sing (née Pugh) (of Stratford, England).
Prior to the war, Sing was well known for his skills as a kangaroo shooter, and as a competitive target shooter as a member of the Proserpine Rifle Club.
On October 24, 1914, two months after the outbreak of war, Sing enlisted as a trooper in the Australian Fifth Light Horse Regiment of the Australian Imperial Force. Sing won international fame as a sniper during the Gallipoli campaign of 1915-1916. Serving as dismounted infantry in the Gallipoli campaign, Sing partnered with his spotter Ion Idriess (later author of "Desert Column", "Cattle King", "Lassetter's Last Ride"), and later Tom Sheehan. Regimental records list Sing as having taken 150 confirmed 'kills'. However, on October 23, 1915, General William Birdwood, commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, issued an order complimenting Sing for his 201 unconfirmed 'kills'.[1] In Sing's killing records there was allegedly a turkish sniper nicknamed "Abdul the Terrible" who was sent to get rid of him, apparently though Sing found Abdul under cover, still oblivious to his presence. Certainly, Sing fired first and ended such a duel successfully.[2]
In February 1916, Sing was mentioned in dispatches by Commander Allied Forces, Sir Ian Hamilton. On March 10, 1916, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
After the evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula, Sing transferred to the infantry in August 1916, joining the 31st Battalion of the Australian 5th Division and sailing for France for service on the Western Front. It is not clear whether Sing worked as a sniper on the Western Front, though bearing in mind his skill-set and reputation, it seems quite probable. Certainly, in September 1917, Sing led a unit in the Battle of Polygon Wood in counter-sniper operations, for which he was awarded the Oorlogskruis (the Belgian Croix de Guerre).
On the Western Front, Sing was repeatedly wounded in action, as well as being hospitalised for sickness and illness caused by old wounds. During one of these periods of convalescence, Sing met Elizabeth Stewart, a waitress, in Scotland, whom he married on June 29, 1917.
Sing returned to Australia in 1918 on submarine guard duty and was discharged from service in Australia on November 28, 1918. His marriage broke down a few years after, shortly after the pair moved to Clermont, Australia, a mining area.
His final days were spent in relative poverty, working as a labourer. He died alone in his room in a Brisbane boarding house on May 19th 1943 aged 57 years. Cause of death was a ruptured aorta. His only significant possessions were a hut worth approximately £20 located on a mining claim, plus the sum of 5 shillings found with him in his room.[1]
[edit] References
- National Archives of Australia. Digital Records
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