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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
|name = Billy Sing'''''Italic text'''''
| name = Billy Sing
|image = Billy sing.jpg
| image = Billy sing.jpg
|image_size =
| image_size =
|alt = Formal studio photograph of Billy Sing
| alt = Formal studio photograph of Billy Sing
|caption = W. E. Sing, c. 1918<br />Australian War memorial P03633.006
| caption = W. E. Sing, c. 1918<br />Australian War memorial P03633.006
|birth_name = William Edward Sing
| birth_name = William Edward Sing
|nickname = The Assassin, The Murderer, Billy
| nickname = The Assassin, The Murderer, Billy
|birth_date = {{birth date|1886|03|02|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1886|03|02|df=yes}}
|birth_place = [[Clermont, Queensland|Clermont]], [[Colony of Queensland|Queensland]]
| birth_place = [[Clermont, Queensland|Clermont]], [[Colony of Queensland|Queensland]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1943|05|19|1886|03|02|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1943|05|19|1886|03|02|df=yes}}
|death_place = [[Brisbane]], [[Queensland]], Australia
| death_place = [[Brisbane]], [[Queensland]], Australia
|placeofburial = [[Lutwyche Cemetery]], Brisbane
| placeofburial = [[Lutwyche Cemetery]], Brisbane
|allegiance = Australia
| allegiance = Australia
|branch = [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]]
| branch = [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]]
|serviceyears = 1914–1918
| serviceyears = 1914–1918
|rank = [[Trooper (rank)|Trooper]]
| rank = [[Trooper (rank)|Trooper]]
|servicenumber = 355A
| servicenumber = 355A
|unit = [[2nd Light Horse Brigade#5th Light Horse Regiment|5th Light Horse Regiment]]<br/>[[31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment|31st Infantry Battalion]]
| unit = [[2nd Light Horse Brigade#5th Light Horse Regiment|5th Light Horse Regiment]]<br/>[[31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment|31st Infantry Battalion]]
|battles = [[World War I]]
| battles =
{{tree list}}
* [[World War I]]
* [[Gallipoli Campaign]]
** [[Gallipoli Campaign]]
* [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]
** [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]
** [[Battle of Polygon Wood]]
*** [[Battle of Polygon Wood]]
{{tree list/end}}
|awards = [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]]<br/>[[Croix de guerre (Belgium)|Croix de guerre]] (Belgium)
| awards = [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]]<br/>[[Croix de guerre (Belgium)|Croix de guerre]] (Belgium)
|spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth A. Stewart|29 June 1917}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth A. Stewart|29 June 1917}}
|relations =
|laterwork = Stockman, sheep farmer, gold miner
| laterwork = Stockman, sheep farmer, gold miner
}}
}}

'''William Edward Sing''', [[Distinguished Conduct Medal|DCM]] (3 March 1886 – 19 May 1943) was an Australian [[Digger (soldier)|soldier]] of Chinese and English descent who served in the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] during [[World War I]], best known as a [[sniper]] during the [[Gallipoli Campaign]].<ref name="Hamilton2008p5">Hamilton (2008), p. 5.</ref><ref name="Tate1993">Tate, B. (1993): [http://www.lighthorse.org.au/personal-histories/personal-histories-boer-war-ww1-1/personal-histories-trooper-william-eddie-sing/ Trooper William Edward (Billy) Sing, DCM , Croix de Guerre, 1886–1943: "The Assassin of Gallipoli"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512204239/http://www.lighthorse.org.au/personal-histories/personal-histories-boer-war-ww1-1/personal-histories-trooper-william-eddie-sing/ |date=12 May 2010 }} ''Courier Mail Weekend'' (24 April 1993). Retrieved 26 May 2010. [http://www.polygonwood.com/Johan%20Stories/Tpr%20William%20Edward%20Sing.pdf Alternative copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316152008/http://www.polygonwood.com/Johan%20Stories/Tpr%20William%20Edward%20Sing.pdf |date=16 March 2018 }} Retrieved 11 June 2010.</ref><ref name="Reed1916">Reed, F. (1916): [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1037767 Billy Sing: Famous Australian sniper] ''The Mercury'' (13 March 1916, p. 4). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="GA2009">[http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/walk_07artillery.html Gallipoli and the Anzacs: The Anzac Walk – Artillery Road] (2009). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref>{{ref_label|A|a|none}} He took at least 150 confirmed kills during that campaign, and may have had over 200 kills in total.<ref name="Reed1916"/><ref name="GA2009"/> However, contemporary evidence puts his tally at close to 300 kills.<ref name="Hamilton2008p6">Hamilton (2008), p. 6.</ref> Towards the end of the war, Sing married a Scottish woman, but the relationship did not last long.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Following work in sheep farming and gold mining, he died in relative poverty and obscurity in [[Brisbane]] during [[World War II]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Hamilton2008p8">Hamilton (2008), p. 8.</ref>
'''William Edward Sing''', [[Distinguished Conduct Medal|DCM]] (3 March 1886 – 19 May 1943), known as '''Billy Sing''', was an Australian [[Digger (soldier)|soldier]] of Chinese and English descent who served in the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] during [[World War I]], best known as a [[sniper]] during the [[Gallipoli Campaign]].<ref name="Hamilton2008p5">Hamilton (2008), p. 5.</ref><ref name="Tate1993">Tate, B. (1993): [http://www.lighthorse.org.au/personal-histories/personal-histories-boer-war-ww1-1/personal-histories-trooper-william-eddie-sing/ Trooper William Edward (Billy) Sing, DCM, Croix de Guerre, 1886–1943: "The Assassin of Gallipoli"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512204239/http://www.lighthorse.org.au/personal-histories/personal-histories-boer-war-ww1-1/personal-histories-trooper-william-eddie-sing/ |date=12 May 2010 }} ''Courier Mail Weekend'' (24 April 1993). Retrieved 26 May 2010. [http://www.polygonwood.com/Johan%20Stories/Tpr%20William%20Edward%20Sing.pdf Alternative copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316152008/http://www.polygonwood.com/Johan%20Stories/Tpr%20William%20Edward%20Sing.pdf |date=16 March 2018 }} Retrieved 11 June 2010.</ref><ref name="Reed1916">Reed, F. (1916): [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1037767 Billy Sing: Famous Australian sniper] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511234122/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1037767 |date=11 May 2020 }} ''The Mercury'' (13 March 1916, p. 4). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="GA2009">[http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/walk_07artillery.html Gallipoli and the Anzacs: The Anzac Walk – Artillery Road] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525095857/http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/walk_07artillery.html |date=25 May 2010 }} (2009). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref>{{ref_label|A|a|none}} He took at least 150 confirmed kills during that campaign, and may have had over 200 kills in total.<ref name="Reed1916"/><ref name="GA2009"/> However, contemporary evidence puts his tally at close to 300 kills.<ref name="Hamilton2008p6">Hamilton (2008), p. 6.</ref> Towards the end of the war, Sing married a Scottish woman, but the relationship did not last long.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Following work in sheep farming and gold mining, he died in relative poverty and obscurity in [[Brisbane]] during [[World War II]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Hamilton2008p8">Hamilton (2008), p. 8.</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Sing was born on 3 March 1886 in [[Clermont, Queensland|Clermont]], [[Queensland]], Australia, the son of a Chinese father and an English mother.<ref name="GA2009" /><ref name="Hamilton2008p7">Hamilton (2008), p. 7.</ref><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009">[http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-graveside-ceremony-for-famed-gallipoli-sniper-20090518-bce5.html Brisbane graveside ceremony for famed Gallipoli sniper] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004001218/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-graveside-ceremony-for-famed-gallipoli-sniper-20090518-bce5.html |date=4 October 2012 }} ''Brisbane Times'' (18 May 2009). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Nash2008">Nash, J. (2008): [http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/08/02/14443_more-gossip-news.html The Aussie Assassin] ''Gold Coast News'' (2 August 2008). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> His parents were John Sing (c. 1842–1921), a [[Drover (Australian)|drover]] from [[Shanghai]], China, and Mary Ann Sing (née Pugh; c. 1857–unknown), a nurse from [[Kingswinford]], [[Staffordshire]], England.<ref name="Hamilton2008p12">Hamilton (2008), p. 12.</ref><ref name="Courtney2001p3">Courtney (2001), p. 3.</ref>{{ref_label|B|b|none}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Hamilton|first=John |year=2015|title= Gallipoli Sniper: The Remarkable Life of Billy Sing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2|publisher=Frontline Books|edition=illustrated |page=2 |isbn=978-1848329041}}</ref> Sing's mother had given birth to a daughter named Mary Ann Elizabeth Pugh on 28 May 1883, less than two months before marrying Sing's father on 4 July 1883.<ref name="Hamilton2008p13">Hamilton (2008), p. 13.</ref> It is unclear whether this child was John Sing's daughter as well.<ref name="Hamilton2008p14">Hamilton (2008), p. 14.</ref> A daughter, Beatrice Sing, was later born into the family on 12 July 1893.<ref name="Hamilton2008p18">Hamilton (2008), p. 18.</ref> The three children grew up together on the farm run by the Sings, and all three performed well academically.<ref name="Hamilton2008p19">Hamilton (2008), p. 19.</ref>
Sing was born on 3 March 1886 in [[Clermont, Queensland|Clermont]], [[Queensland]], Australia, the son of a Chinese father and an English mother.<ref name="GA2009" /><ref name="Hamilton2008p7">Hamilton (2008), p. 7.</ref><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009">[http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-graveside-ceremony-for-famed-gallipoli-sniper-20090518-bce5.html Brisbane graveside ceremony for famed Gallipoli sniper] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004001218/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-graveside-ceremony-for-famed-gallipoli-sniper-20090518-bce5.html |date=4 October 2012 }} ''Brisbane Times'' (18 May 2009). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Nash2008">Nash, J. (2008): [http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/08/02/14443_more-gossip-news.html The Aussie Assassin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324051926/http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/08/02/14443_more-gossip-news.html |date=24 March 2012 }} ''Gold Coast News'' (2 August 2008). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> His parents were John Sing (c. 1842–1921), a [[Drover (Australian)|drover]] from [[Shanghai]], China, and Mary Ann Sing (née Pugh; c. 1857–unknown), a nurse from [[Kingswinford]], [[Staffordshire]], England.<ref name="Hamilton2008p12">Hamilton (2008), p. 12.</ref><ref name="Courtney2001p3">Courtney (2001), p. 3.</ref>{{ref_label|B|b|none}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=John|year=2015|title=Gallipoli Sniper: The Remarkable Life of Billy Sing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2|publisher=Frontline Books|edition=illustrated|page=2|isbn=978-1848329041|access-date=3 March 2018|archive-date=25 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525051446/https://books.google.com/books?id=ekeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Sing's mother had given birth to a daughter named Mary Ann Elizabeth Pugh on 28 May 1883, less than two months before marrying Sing's father on 4 July 1883.<ref name="Hamilton2008p13">Hamilton (2008), p. 13.</ref> It is unclear whether this child was John Sing's daughter as well.<ref name="Hamilton2008p14">Hamilton (2008), p. 14.</ref> A daughter, Beatrice Sing, was later born into the family on 12 July 1893.<ref name="Hamilton2008p18">Hamilton (2008), p. 18.</ref> The three children grew up together on the farm run by the Sings, and all three performed well academically.<ref name="Hamilton2008p19">Hamilton (2008), p. 19.</ref>


There was considerable [[Sinophobia|anti-Chinese sentiment]] in Australia at this time.<ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="Hamilton2008pp14-15pp17-19">Hamilton (2008), pp. 14–15 & pp. 17–19.</ref> As a boy, Sing was well known for his shooting skill, but was the subject of [[Racism|racial prejudice]] due to his ancestry.<ref name="Hamilton2008p5p19">Hamilton (2008), p. 5 & p. 19.</ref> He began work hauling timber as a youth,<ref name="Nash2008"/> and later worked as a [[Stockman (Australia)|stockman]] and a [[sugarcane]] cutter.<ref name="Hamilton2008p5"/><ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing became well known for his marksmanship, both as a kangaroo shooter and as a competitive [[Shooting sports|target shooter]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/> In the latter role, he was a member of the Proserpine Rifle Club (one of the many [[History of rifle clubs in Queensland|rifle clubs in Queensland]] that were partially sponsored by the Queensland and Australian defence forces to develop shooting skills).<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006pp21-22">Laws & Stewart (2006), pp. 21–22.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unsworks.unsw.edu.au/permalink/f/5gm2j3/unsworks_12195|title=The Rifle Club Movement and Australian Defence 1860–1941|last=Kilsby|first=Andrew|date=2014|publisher=[[University of New South Wales]]|page=7|access-date=25 August 2019}}</ref> He regularly won prizes for his shooting, and also played cricket with skill.<ref name="Maunder2010">Maunder, P. (2010): [http://www.outbackmag.com.au/stories/article-view?591 Gallipoli sniper] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219035634/http://www.outbackmag.com.au/stories/article-view?591 |date=19 February 2011 }} Excerpt from ''Outback'' (Issue 70, April/May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>
There was considerable [[Racism in Australia|anti-Chinese sentiment]] in Australia at this time.<ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="Hamilton2008pp14-15pp17-19">Hamilton (2008), pp. 14–15 & pp. 17–19.</ref> As a boy, Sing was well known for his shooting skill, but was the subject of [[Racism|racial prejudice]] due to his ancestry.<ref name="Hamilton2008p5p19">Hamilton (2008), p. 5 & p. 19.</ref> He began work hauling timber as a youth,<ref name="Nash2008"/> and later worked as a [[Stockman (Australia)|stockman]] and a [[sugarcane]] cutter.<ref name="Hamilton2008p5"/><ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing became well known for his marksmanship, both as a kangaroo shooter and as a competitive [[Shooting sports|target shooter]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/> In the latter role, he was a member of the Proserpine Rifle Club (one of the many [[History of rifle clubs in Queensland|rifle clubs in Queensland]] that were partially sponsored by the Queensland and Australian defence forces to develop shooting skills).<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006pp21-22">Laws & Stewart (2006), pp. 21–22.</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|url=https://www.unsworks.unsw.edu.au/permalink/f/5gm2j3/unsworks_12195|title=The Rifle Club Movement and Australian Defence 1860–1941|last=Kilsby|first=Andrew|date=2014|publisher=[[University of New South Wales]]|page=7|doi=10.26190/unsworks/16816|hdl=1959.4/53500|access-date=25 August 2019|type=Thesis|archive-date=25 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525051501/https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/handle/1959.4/53500|url-status=live}}</ref> He regularly won prizes for his shooting, and also played cricket with skill.<ref name="Maunder2010">Maunder, P. (2010): [http://www.outbackmag.com.au/stories/article-view?591 Gallipoli sniper] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219035634/http://www.outbackmag.com.au/stories/article-view?591 |date=19 February 2011 }} Excerpt from ''Outback'' (Issue 70, April/May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>


On 24 October 1914, two months after the outbreak of war, Sing enlisted as a [[Trooper (rank)|trooper]] in the [[2nd Light Horse Brigade#5th Light Horse Regiment|Australian 5th Light Horse Regiment]] of the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="GA2009"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p22">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 22.</ref><ref name="NAAp1">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 1.</ref> His Certificate of Medical Examination at the time showed that he stood at 5' 5" (165&nbsp;cm) and weighed 141&nbsp;lb. (64&nbsp;kg).<ref name="NAAp3">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 3.</ref> According to John Laws and Christopher Stewart, he was accepted into the army only after a recruitment officer chose to disregard the fact that Sing was part Chinese; at the time, only those of European ancestry were generally considered suitable for Australian military service.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p25">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 25.</ref><ref name="Kennedy2009">Kennedy, A. (2009): [http://warbrides.com.au/index.php/World-War-I/British-War-Brides-of-Chinese-Australian-Diggers.html British War Brides of Chinese Australian Diggers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706113216/http://warbrides.com.au/index.php/World-War-I/British-War-Brides-of-Chinese-Australian-Diggers.html |date=6 July 2011 }} (30 March 2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref><ref name="Hui2002">Hui, J.-A. (2002): [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/24/1019441262394.html Chinese-Australian servicemen to be honoured] ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (25 April 2002). Retrieved 13 June 2010.</ref>
On 24 October 1914, two months after the outbreak of war, Sing enlisted as a [[Trooper (rank)|trooper]] in the [[2nd Light Horse Brigade#5th Light Horse Regiment|Australian 5th Light Horse Regiment]] of the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="GA2009"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p22">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 22.</ref><ref name="NAAp1">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 1.</ref> His Certificate of Medical Examination at the time showed that he stood at {{convert|5|ft|5|in|cm|abbr=on}} and weighed {{convert|141|lb|kg}}.<ref name="NAAp3">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 3.</ref> According to John Laws and Christopher Stewart, he was accepted into the army only after a recruitment officer chose to disregard the fact that Sing was part Chinese; at the time, only those of European ancestry were generally considered suitable for Australian military service.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p25">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 25.</ref><ref name="Kennedy2009">Kennedy, A. (2009): [http://warbrides.com.au/index.php/World-War-I/British-War-Brides-of-Chinese-Australian-Diggers.html British War Brides of Chinese Australian Diggers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706113216/http://warbrides.com.au/index.php/World-War-I/British-War-Brides-of-Chinese-Australian-Diggers.html |date=6 July 2011 }} (30 March 2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref><ref name="Hui2002">Hui, J.-A. (2002): [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/24/1019441262394.html Chinese-Australian servicemen to be honoured] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820072527/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/24/1019441262394.html |date=20 August 2010 }} ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (25 April 2002). Retrieved 13 June 2010.</ref>


==Military service==
==Military service==
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Sing began his military career as part of the [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]] (ANZAC) forces in the [[Gallipoli Campaign]] in modern day Turkey. Biographer John Hamilton described the Turkish terrain thus: "It is a country made for snipers. The Anzac and Turkish positions often overlooked each other. Each side sent out marksmen to hunt and stalk and snipe, to wait and shoot and kill, creeping with stealth through the green and brown shrubbery ..."<ref name="Hamilton2008p3">Hamilton (2008), p. 3.</ref> Sing partnered with [[Sniper team|spotters]] [[Ion Idriess|Ion 'Jack' Idriess]] and, later, Tom Sheehan.<ref name="Tate1993"/> The spotter's task was to observe (spot) the surrounding terrain and alert the sniper to potential targets.<ref name="Courtney2001p4">Courtney (2001), p. 4.</ref> Idriess described Sing as "a little chap, very dark, with a jet black moustache and goatee beard. A picturesque looking mankiller. He is the crack shot of the Anzacs."<ref name="Courtney2001p3"/>
Sing began his military career as part of the [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]] (ANZAC) forces in the [[Gallipoli Campaign]] in modern day Turkey. Biographer John Hamilton described the Turkish terrain thus: "It is a country made for snipers. The Anzac and Turkish positions often overlooked each other. Each side sent out marksmen to hunt and stalk and snipe, to wait and shoot and kill, creeping with stealth through the green and brown shrubbery ..."<ref name="Hamilton2008p3">Hamilton (2008), p. 3.</ref> Sing partnered with [[Sniper team|spotters]] [[Ion Idriess|Ion 'Jack' Idriess]] and, later, Tom Sheehan.<ref name="Tate1993"/> The spotter's task was to observe (spot) the surrounding terrain and alert the sniper to potential targets.<ref name="Courtney2001p4">Courtney (2001), p. 4.</ref> Idriess described Sing as "a little chap, very dark, with a jet black moustache and goatee beard. A picturesque looking mankiller. He is the crack shot of the Anzacs."<ref name="Courtney2001p3"/>


Chatham's Post, a position named after a Light Horse officer, was Sing's first sniping post.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Biographer Brian Tate wrote, "It was here that Billy Sing began in earnest his lethal occupation."<ref name="Tate1993"/> He set about his task with a [[Lee–Enfield|Lee–Enfield .303 rifle]].<ref name="LawsStewart2006p23">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 23.</ref> An account by Private Frank Reed, a fellow Australian soldier, states that Sing was so close to the Turkish lines that enemy artillery rarely troubled him.<ref name="Reed1916"/> His comrades left three particular enemy positions to his attention: a trench at 350 yards (320 m) from his post, a communication sap at 500 yards (457 m), and a track in a gully at 1,000 yards (914 m).<ref name="Reed1916"/> According to Reed, "Every time Billy Sing felt sorry for the poor Turks, he remembered how their snipers picked off the Australian officers in the early days of the landing, and he hardened his heart. But he never fired at a stretcher-bearer or any of the soldiers who were trying to rescue wounded Turks."<ref name="Reed1916"/> In contrast, Hamilton said in a 2008 interview, "We have an anecdote where, after spotting an injured Turk, he said 'I'll put that poor cuss out of his agony' and just shot him. He was a very tough man."<ref name="Nash2008"/>
Chatham's Post, a position named after a Light Horse officer, was Sing's first sniping post.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Biographer Brian Tate wrote, "It was here that Billy Sing began in earnest his lethal occupation."<ref name="Tate1993"/> He set about his task with a [[Lee–Enfield|Lee–Enfield .303 rifle]].<ref name="LawsStewart2006p23">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 23.</ref> An account by Private Frank Reed, a fellow Australian soldier, states that Sing was so close to the Turkish lines that enemy artillery rarely troubled him.<ref name="Reed1916"/> His comrades left three particular enemy positions to his attention: a trench at {{convert|350|yd|m}} from his post, a communication sap at {{convert|500|yd|m}}, and a track in a gully at {{convert|1,000|yd|m}}.<ref name="Reed1916"/> According to Reed, "Every time Billy Sing felt sorry for the poor Turks, he remembered how their snipers picked off the Australian officers in the early days of the landing, and he hardened his heart. But he never fired at a stretcher-bearer or any of the soldiers who were trying to rescue wounded Turks."<ref name="Reed1916"/> In contrast, Hamilton said in a 2008 interview, "We have an anecdote where, after spotting an injured Turk, he said 'I'll put that poor cuss out of his agony' and just shot him. He was a very tough man."<ref name="Nash2008"/>


Sing's reputation resulted in a champion Turkish sniper, nicknamed 'Abdul the Terrible' by the [[Allies of World War I|Allied side]], being assigned to deal with him.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p23"/> Tate alleges that the Turks were largely able to distinguish Sing's sniping from that of other ANZAC soldiers, and that only the reports of incidents believed to be Sing's work were passed on to Abdul.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Through [[Terminal ballistics|analysis]] of the victims' actions and wounds, Abdul concluded that Sing's position was at Chatham's Post.<ref name="Tate1993"/> After several days, Sing's spotter alerted him to a potential target, and he took aim, only to find the target—Abdul—looking in his direction.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing prepared to fire, trying not to reveal his position, but the Turkish sniper noticed him and began his own firing sequence.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing fired first and killed Abdul.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Very shortly thereafter, the Turkish artillery fired on Sing's position—he and his spotter barely managed to evacuate from Chatham's Post alive.<ref name="Tate1993"/>
Sing's reputation resulted in a champion Turkish sniper, nicknamed 'Abdul the Terrible' by the [[Allies of World War I|Allied side]], being assigned to deal with him.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p23"/> Tate alleges that the Turks were largely able to distinguish Sing's sniping from that of other ANZAC soldiers, and that only the reports of incidents believed to be Sing's work were passed on to Abdul.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Through [[Terminal ballistics|analysis]] of the victims' actions and wounds, Abdul concluded that Sing's position was at Chatham's Post.<ref name="Tate1993"/> After several days, Sing's spotter alerted him to a potential target, and he took aim, only to find the target—Abdul—looking in his direction.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing prepared to fire, trying not to reveal his position, but the Turkish sniper noticed him and began his own firing sequence.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing fired first and killed Abdul.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Very shortly thereafter, the Turkish artillery fired on Sing's position—he and his spotter barely managed to evacuate from Chatham's Post alive.<ref name="Tate1993"/>
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===Sniping record===
===Sniping record===
Sing's marksmanship at Gallipoli saw him dubbed 'The Assassin' or 'The Murderer' by his comrades.<ref name="Hamilton2008p7"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p23"/><ref name="Rule2004">Rule, A. (2004): [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/26/1082831474340.html A sniper's tale] ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (26 April 2004). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> He reportedly acquired the latter nickname due to his callous attitude towards the enemy.<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/><ref name="Sparrow2009">Sparrow, J. (2009): [http://newmatilda.com/2009/07/28/mind-us-army-sniper The Mind of a US Army Sniper] ''NewMatilda.com'' (28 July 2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> By early September 1915, he had taken 119 kills, according to Brigadier-General [[Granville Ryrie]], commanding officer of the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade.<ref name="Hamilton2008pxi">Hamilton (2008), p. xi.</ref> Regimental records list Sing as having taken 150 confirmed kills, but on 23 October 1915, General [[William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood|William Birdwood]], commander of ANZAC forces, issued an order complimenting him on his 201 unconfirmed kills.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/> Historian Bob Courtney noted that an official kill was recorded only if the spotter saw the target fall.<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/> If the first shot missed the target, it was very risky to take a second shot, as this could give away the sniper team's position.<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/>
Sing's marksmanship at Gallipoli saw him dubbed 'The Assassin' or 'The Murderer' by his comrades.<ref name="Hamilton2008p7"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p23"/><ref name="Rule2004">Rule, A. (2004): [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/26/1082831474340.html A sniper's tale] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104003212/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/26/1082831474340.html |date=4 January 2013 }} ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (26 April 2004). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> He reportedly acquired the latter nickname due to his callous attitude towards the enemy.<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/><ref name="Sparrow2009">Sparrow, J. (2009): [http://newmatilda.com/2009/07/28/mind-us-army-sniper The Mind of a US Army Sniper] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207170432/http://newmatilda.com/2009/07/28/mind-us-army-sniper |date=7 February 2010 }} ''NewMatilda.com'' (28 July 2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> By early September 1915, he had taken 119 kills, according to Brigadier-General [[Granville Ryrie]], commanding officer of the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade.<ref name="Hamilton2008pxi">Hamilton (2008), p. xi.</ref> Regimental records list Sing as having taken 150 confirmed kills, but on 23 October 1915, General [[William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood|William Birdwood]], commander of ANZAC forces, issued an order complimenting him on his 201 unconfirmed kills.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/> Historian Bob Courtney noted that an official kill was recorded only if the spotter saw the target fall.<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/> If the first shot missed the target, it was very risky to take a second shot, as this could give away the sniper team's position.<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/>


Major Stephen Midgely estimated Sing's tally at close to 300 kills.<ref name="Hamilton2008p6"/> Midgely had brought him to the attention of Birdwood, who in turn had told [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]] that "if his troops could match the capacity of the Queensland sniper the allied forces would soon be in Constantinople."<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/> Birdwood had reportedly joined Sing as his spotter on one occasion, and had the opportunity to witness his marksmanship first hand.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p4"/>
Major Stephen Midgely estimated Sing's tally at close to 300 kills.<ref name="Hamilton2008p6"/> Midgely had brought him to the attention of Birdwood, who in turn had told [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]] that "if his troops could match the capacity of the Queensland sniper the allied forces would soon be in Constantinople."<ref name="Courtney2001p4"/> Birdwood had reportedly joined Sing as his spotter on one occasion, and had the opportunity to witness his marksmanship first hand.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p4"/>


In February 1916, Sing was [[Mentioned in Despatches]] by General [[Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton|Sir Ian Hamilton]], Commander of the [[Mediterranean Expeditionary Force]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/><ref name="NAAp16">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 16.</ref> This was the first official recognition of his service.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/> On 10 March 1916, he was awarded the [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]],<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="Courtney2001p4"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/><ref name="NAApp20-21pp22-23p29">National Archives of Australia (2010a), pp. 20–21, pp. 22–23, & p. 29.</ref> with a related entry in military records reading: "For conspicuous gallantry from May to September, 1915, at Anzac, as a sniper. His courage and skill were most marked, and he was responsible for a very large number of casualties among the enemy, no risk being too great for him to take."<ref name="NAAp86">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 86.</ref> Apart from the recognition he received from his superiors, Sing's exploits were also reported in British and American newspapers of the time.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/><ref name="Mercury1916">[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1044379 An Australian sniper accounts for 200 Turks] ''The Mercury'' (18 January 1916, p. 5). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref>
In February 1916, Sing was [[Mentioned in Despatches]] by General [[Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton|Sir Ian Hamilton]], Commander of the [[Mediterranean Expeditionary Force]].<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/><ref name="NAAp16">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 16.</ref> This was the first official recognition of his service.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/> On 10 March 1916, he was awarded the [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]],<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="Courtney2001p4"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/><ref name="NAApp20-21pp22-23p29">National Archives of Australia (2010a), pp. 20–21, pp. 22–23, & p. 29.</ref> with a related entry in military records reading: "For conspicuous gallantry from May to September, 1915, at Anzac, as a sniper. His courage and skill were most marked, and he was responsible for a very large number of casualties among the enemy, no risk being too great for him to take."<ref name="NAAp86">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 86.</ref> Apart from the recognition he received from his superiors, Sing's exploits were also reported in British and American newspapers of the time.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p24"/><ref name="Mercury1916">[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1044379 An Australian sniper accounts for 200 Turks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525051449/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1044379 |date=25 May 2024 }} ''The Mercury'' (18 January 1916, p. 5). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref>


===Western Front===
===Western Front===
At the end of November 1915, Sing suffered from myalgia and was confined to the hospital ship [[HMHS Gloucester Castle|HMHS ''Gloucester Castle'']] for almost two weeks.<ref name="NAAp12">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 12.</ref> During this time, he was conveyed to Malta, then [[Ismaïlia]], Egypt.<ref name="NAApp65-66">National Archives of Australia (2010a), pp. 65–66.</ref> While in Egypt, he was also hospitalised with parotitis and mumps, but rejoined his unit at the end of March 1916.<ref name="NAApp65-66"/> Australian soldiers stationed in Egypt including Billy Sing were major customers of [[Prostitution in Egypt#British occupation|Egyptian prostitutes in the local red light districts and brothels]]. High prices by the prostitutes led to the Wasser red light area becoming the scene of a major riot by New Zealand and Australian soldiers on Good Friday in 1915.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hamilton|first=John |year=2015|title= Gallipoli Sniper: The Remarkable Life of Billy Sing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA89|publisher=Frontline Books|edition=illustrated |page=89 |isbn=978-1848329041}}</ref>
At the end of November 1915, Sing suffered from [[myalgia]] and was confined to the hospital ship [[HMHS Gloucester Castle|HMHS ''Gloucester Castle'']] for almost two weeks.<ref name="NAAp12">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 12.</ref> During this time, he was conveyed to [[Malta]], then [[Ismaïlia]], Egypt.<ref name="NAApp65-66">National Archives of Australia (2010a), pp. 65–66.</ref> While in Egypt, he was also hospitalised with [[parotitis]] and [[mumps]], but rejoined his unit at the end of March 1916.<ref name="NAApp65-66"/> Australian soldiers stationed in Egypt including Billy Sing were major customers of [[Prostitution in Egypt#British occupation|Egyptian prostitutes in the local red light districts and brothels]]. High prices by the prostitutes led to the Wasser red light area becoming the scene of a major riot by New Zealand and Australian soldiers on [[Good Friday]] in 1915.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=John|year=2015|title=Gallipoli Sniper: The Remarkable Life of Billy Sing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA89|publisher=Frontline Books|edition=illustrated|page=89|isbn=978-1848329041|access-date=3 March 2018|archive-date=25 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525051446/https://books.google.com/books?id=ekeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA89#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>


Sing transferred to the [[31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment|31st Infantry Battalion]] on 27 July 1916 at [[Tall al Kabir|Tel-el-Kibir]] and sailed to England the following month.<ref name="NAAp23">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 23.</ref> Following a brief period of training in England, he sailed for France and entered action on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in January 1917.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/><ref name="NAAp23"/> He was wounded in action several times,<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/> and commended many times in reports by Allied commanders.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/> In March 1917, he was wounded in the left leg and hospitalised in England.<ref name="NAAp30">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 30.</ref> In May 1917, while recovering in Scotland, he met waitress Elizabeth A. Stewart (c. 1896–unknown),<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="NAAp79pp84-85">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 79 & pp. 84–85.</ref> who was the daughter of [[Royal Navy]] cook George Stewart.<ref name="Kennedy2009"/><ref name="NAAp79pp84-85"/> The two were married on 29 June 1917 in Edinburgh.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/><ref name="NAAp79pp84-85"/>{{ref_label|C|c|none}} In July 1917, Elizabeth Sing's address was noted in records as 6 Spring Gardens, [[Stockbridge, Edinburgh]].<ref name="NAAp68">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 68.</ref>
Sing transferred to the [[31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment|31st Infantry Battalion]] on 27 July 1916 at [[Tall al Kabir|Tel-el-Kibir]] and sailed to England the following month.<ref name="NAAp23">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 23.</ref> Following a brief period of training in England, he sailed for France and entered action on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in January 1917.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/><ref name="NAAp23"/> He was wounded in action several times,<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/> and commended many times in reports by Allied commanders.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/> In March 1917, he was wounded in the left leg and hospitalised in England.<ref name="NAAp30">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 30.</ref> In May 1917, while recovering in Scotland, he met waitress Elizabeth A. Stewart (c. 1896–unknown),<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="NAAp79pp84-85">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 79 & pp. 84–85.</ref> who was the daughter of [[Royal Navy]] cook George Stewart.<ref name="Kennedy2009"/><ref name="NAAp79pp84-85"/> The two were married on 29 June 1917 in Edinburgh.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/><ref name="NAAp79pp84-85"/>{{ref_label|C|c|none}} In July 1917, Elizabeth Sing's address was noted in records as 6 Spring Gardens, [[Stockbridge, Edinburgh]].<ref name="NAAp68">National Archives of Australia (2010a), p. 68.</ref>
Line 72: Line 75:
According to some accounts, Sing and his wife were honoured by the local community when they arrived in [[Proserpine, Queensland]], in late 1918.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5">Courtney (2001), p. 5.</ref><ref name="LawsStewart2006p26">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 26.</ref> Other accounts, however, state that although Sing arranged for passage from Scotland to Australia for his wife, there was no evidence that she made the journey.<ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="Kennedy2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/>{{ref_label|D|d|none}} If Sing's wife did come to Australia, it appears that she left her husband after a few years;<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5"/> Tate suggests that the "transition from the green hills and ancient culture of Edinburgh to the dust and rough life of the mining district around Clermont must have been traumatic for Elizabeth Sing" and might have been a reason for her departure.<ref name="Tate1993"/>
According to some accounts, Sing and his wife were honoured by the local community when they arrived in [[Proserpine, Queensland]], in late 1918.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5">Courtney (2001), p. 5.</ref><ref name="LawsStewart2006p26">Laws & Stewart (2006), p. 26.</ref> Other accounts, however, state that although Sing arranged for passage from Scotland to Australia for his wife, there was no evidence that she made the journey.<ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="Kennedy2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/>{{ref_label|D|d|none}} If Sing's wife did come to Australia, it appears that she left her husband after a few years;<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5"/> Tate suggests that the "transition from the green hills and ancient culture of Edinburgh to the dust and rough life of the mining district around Clermont must have been traumatic for Elizabeth Sing" and might have been a reason for her departure.<ref name="Tate1993"/>


Recent research has shown that Elizabeth remained in Edinburgh. She had had a daughter (Mary) in 1919 and a son (Theo) in 1924, to different fathers (neither of whom was Billy Sing). She travelled to Australia during 1925 with her two children, and settled in Paddington, NSW. She adopted the surname of her son's father. She lived in New South Wales with her son's father until her death in Wollongong in the 1970s. It is not known whether she had any contact with Billy after her arrival in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|last=Loftus|first=Ian|url=https://ianloftus.com/2015/10/28/where-is-mrs-sing-the-search-for-the-long-lost-wife-of-billy-sing/|title=Where is Mrs Sing? The search for the long-lost wife of Billy Sing|work=ianloftus.com|date=28 October 2015|access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref>
Recent research has shown that Elizabeth remained in Edinburgh. She had had a daughter (Mary) in 1919 and a son (Theo) in 1924, to different fathers (neither of whom was Billy Sing). She travelled to Australia during 1925 with her two children, and settled in Paddington, NSW. She adopted the surname of her son's father. She lived in New South Wales with her son's father until her death in Wollongong in the 1970s. It is not known whether she had any contact with Billy after her arrival in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|last=Loftus|first=Ian|url=https://ianloftus.com/2015/10/28/where-is-mrs-sing-the-search-for-the-long-lost-wife-of-billy-sing/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028163741/http://ianloftus.com/2015/10/28/where-is-mrs-sing-the-search-for-the-long-lost-wife-of-billy-sing/|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 October 2015|title=Where is Mrs Sing? The search for the long-lost wife of Billy Sing|work=ianloftus.com|date=28 October 2015|access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref>


==Later life and death==
==Later life and death==
Line 79: Line 82:
In later life, Sing reported chest, back, and heart pain.<ref name="5RAR2009"/> His final days were spent in relative poverty and obscurity.<ref name="Nash2008"/> His elder sister or half-sister, Mary Ann Elizabeth, had died in childbirth in 1915.<ref name="Hamilton2008p18"/> In 1942, Sing moved from Miclere to Brisbane, telling his surviving sister Beatrice that it was cheaper to live there.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p26"/><ref name="AUDictBio" /> His final occupation was as a labourer.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p26"/>
In later life, Sing reported chest, back, and heart pain.<ref name="5RAR2009"/> His final days were spent in relative poverty and obscurity.<ref name="Nash2008"/> His elder sister or half-sister, Mary Ann Elizabeth, had died in childbirth in 1915.<ref name="Hamilton2008p18"/> In 1942, Sing moved from Miclere to Brisbane, telling his surviving sister Beatrice that it was cheaper to live there.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p26"/><ref name="AUDictBio" /> His final occupation was as a labourer.<ref name="LawsStewart2006p26"/>


Sing died alone in his room in a boarding house in [[West End, Queensland|West End]], Brisbane, on 19 May 1943.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p26"/> The cause of death was a ruptured aorta.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5"/> His only significant possessions were a hut (worth around £20) on a mining claim and a mere 5 shillings found with him in his room.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/> There was no sign of his medals from World War I, and his employers owed him around £6 in wages.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing was buried in the Lutwyche War Cemetery,<ref name="BCC2010">[https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=28733 Brisbane City Council: Grave location search – Sing William Edward] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613052711/https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=28733 |date=13 June 2012 }} Retrieved 11 January 2011.</ref> in [[Kedron, Queensland|Kedron]], a northern suburb of Brisbane.<ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="DVA2009">[http://www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/OAWG/post_war_commemorations/cemet_AU/Pages/qld.aspx Department of Veterans' Affairs: Cemeteries Queensland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311015726/http://www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/OAWG/post_war_commemorations/cemet_AU/Pages/qld.aspx |date=11 March 2011 }} (22 April 2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> His grave is now part of the lawn cemetery section of the [[Lutwyche Cemetery]],<ref name="Chermside2010">[http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/01_cms/details.asp?ID=287 Chermside & Districts Historical Society: Lutwyche Cemetery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706124419/http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/01_cms/details.asp?ID=287 |date=6 July 2011 }} (c. 2010). Retrieved 11 June 2010.</ref> and the inscription on his headstone reads:
Sing died alone in his room in a boarding house in [[West End, Queensland|West End]], Brisbane, on 19 May 1943.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="LawsStewart2006p26"/> The cause of death was a ruptured aorta.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5"/> His only significant possessions were a hut (worth around £20) on a mining claim and a mere 5 shillings found with him in his room.<ref name="Tate1993"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/> There was no sign of his medals from World War I, and his employers owed him around £6 in wages.<ref name="Tate1993"/> Sing was buried in the Lutwyche War Cemetery,<ref name="BCC2010">[https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=28733 Brisbane City Council: Grave location search – Sing William Edward] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613052711/https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=28733 |date=13 June 2012 }} Retrieved 11 January 2011.</ref> in [[Kedron, Queensland|Kedron]], a northern suburb of Brisbane.<ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="DVA2009">[http://www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/OAWG/post_war_commemorations/cemet_AU/Pages/qld.aspx Department of Veterans' Affairs: Cemeteries Queensland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311015726/http://www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/OAWG/post_war_commemorations/cemet_AU/Pages/qld.aspx |date=11 March 2011 }} (22 April 2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> His grave is now part of the lawn cemetery section of the [[Lutwyche Cemetery]],<ref name="Chermside2010">[http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/01_cms/details.asp?ID=287 Chermside & Districts Historical Society: Lutwyche Cemetery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706124419/http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/01_cms/details.asp?ID=287 |date=6 July 2011 }} (c. 2010). Retrieved 11 June 2010.</ref> and the inscription on his bronze plaque reads:


<blockquote>AT REST<br/>WILLIAM EDWARD (BILLY) SING (DCM)<br/>Born Clermont Qld. 2–3–1886 — 19–5–1943<br/>Reg. No. 355 Australian Fifth Light Horse Regiment and later the 31st Infantry Battalion<br/>Son of JOHN SING (bn. SHANGHAI) and MARY ANN (nee PUGH bn. ENGLAND)<br/>AND MARRIED FOR A TIME TO ELIZABETH (STEWART) IN EDINBURGH 29–6–1917<br/>A man of all trades, Pte. Sing was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry, the Belgian Croux ''[sic]'' De Guerre and mentioned often in despatches. Serving at Gallipoli and in France from 1915–1918, he became known as Australia's most effective marksman/sniper accounting for more than 150 of the opposing forces.<br/>His incredible accuracy contributed greatly to the preservation of the lives of those with whom he served during a war always remembered for countless acts of valour and tragic carnage.<ref name="Chermside2010"/><ref name="Vandewalle2010">Vandewalle, J. (2010): [http://www.polygonwood.com/The%20Battle%20for%20Polygon%20Wood.htm Battle of Polygon Wood, 26 September 1917] Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>{{ref_label|E|e|none}}</blockquote>
<blockquote>AT REST<br/>WILLIAM EDWARD (BILLY) SING (DCM)<br/>Born Clermont Qld. 2–3–1886 — 19–5–1943<br/>Reg. No. 355 Australian Fifth Light Horse Regiment and later the 31st Infantry Battalion<br/>Son of JOHN SING (bn. SHANGHAI) and MARY ANN (nee PUGH bn. ENGLAND)<br/>AND MARRIED FOR A TIME TO ELIZABETH (STEWART) IN EDINBURGH 29–6–1917<br/>A man of all trades, Pte. Sing was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry, the Belgian Croux ''[sic]'' De Guerre and mentioned often in despatches. Serving at Gallipoli and in France from 1915–1918, he became known as Australia's most effective marksman/sniper accounting for more than 150 of the opposing forces.<br/>His incredible accuracy contributed greatly to the preservation of the lives of those with whom he served during a war always remembered for countless acts of valour and tragic carnage.<ref name="Chermside2010"/><ref name="Vandewalle2010">Vandewalle, J. (2010): [http://www.polygonwood.com/The%20Battle%20for%20Polygon%20Wood.htm Battle of Polygon Wood, 26 September 1917] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111152038/http://www.polygonwood.com/The%20Battle%20for%20Polygon%20Wood.htm |date=11 November 2009 }} Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>{{ref_label|E|e|none}}</blockquote>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
The Queensland Military Historical Society set up a [[Commemorative plaque|bronze plaque]] at 304 Montague Road, South Brisbane, where Sing had died.<ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5"/> In 1995, a statue of Sing was unveiled with honour in his home town of Clermont.<ref name="5RAR2009"/> In 2004, an [[Australian Army]] sniper team in Baghdad named their post the 'Billy Sing Bar & Grill.'<ref name="5RAR2009"/> On 19 May 2009, the 66th anniversary of Sing's death, the Chinese Consul-General, Ren Gongping, along with [[Returned and Services League of Australia]] officers and community leaders, laid wreaths at his grave.<ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="Sunnybank2009">[http://www.starkhost.net/websites/sbru/web/v1/web/files/fmanager/SBRU_News_lores_1-8.pdf Billy Sing] ''Community News from the Sunnybank Community and Sports Club'' (No. 19, March 2009, p. 6). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Ren said, "Billy Sing is a symbol of the long history of Chinese in Australia, and the great role they have played in your nation's past ... It also reminds us that China and Australia were allies through both world wars, and that we have a long and proud shared past."<ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/>
The Queensland Military Historical Society set up a [[Commemorative plaque|bronze plaque]] at 304 Montague Road, South Brisbane, where Sing had died.<ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="Courtney2001p5"/> In 1995, a statue of Sing was unveiled with honour in his home town of Clermont.<ref name="5RAR2009"/> In 2004, an [[Australian Army]] sniper team in Baghdad named their post the 'Billy Sing Bar & Grill.'<ref name="5RAR2009"/> On 19 May 2009, the 66th anniversary of Sing's death, the Chinese Consul-General, Ren Gongping, along with [[Returned and Services League of Australia]] officers and community leaders, laid wreaths at his grave.<ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/><ref name="5RAR2009"/><ref name="Sunnybank2009">[http://www.starkhost.net/websites/sbru/web/v1/web/files/fmanager/SBRU_News_lores_1-8.pdf Billy Sing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924225919/http://www.starkhost.net/websites/sbru/web/v1/web/files/fmanager/SBRU_News_lores_1-8.pdf |date=24 September 2009 }} ''Community News from the Sunnybank Community and Sports Club'' (No. 19, March 2009, p. 6). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Ren said, "Billy Sing is a symbol of the long history of Chinese in Australia, and the great role they have played in your nation's past ... It also reminds us that China and Australia were allies through both world wars, and that we have a long and proud shared past."<ref name="BrisbaneTimes2009"/>


[[File:Billy Sing medal group.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Billy Sing's medals on display at the [[Australian War Memorial]], Canberra.]]
[[File:Billy Sing medal group.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Billy Sing's medals on display at the [[Australian War Memorial]], Canberra.]]


Sing's life was recounted in a chapter of Laws and Stewart's book, ''There's always more to the story'' (2006),<ref name="LawsStewart2006">Laws & Stewart (2006).</ref> and in greater depth by Hamilton in his book, ''Gallipoli Sniper: The life of Billy Sing'' (2008).<ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="Hamilton2008">Hamilton (2008).</ref><ref name="NLA2009">[http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4349273/Details National Library of Australia: Gallipoli sniper – The life of Billy Sing / John Hamilton] (2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Hamilton's book includes a detailed account of how snipers worked at Gallipoli and their contribution to the progress of the campaign.<ref name="Wadsley2010">Wadsley (2010).</ref> Reviewer John Wadsley wrote that "Hamilton is able to bring together a range of sources to create the story, and while at times, you get the feeling he is padding it out to make up for the lack of direct material about Billy Sing, the book works."<ref name="Wadsley2010p6">Wadsley (2010), p. 6.</ref>
Sing's life was recounted in a chapter of Laws and Stewart's book, ''There's always more to the story'' (2006),<ref name="LawsStewart2006">Laws & Stewart (2006).</ref> and in greater depth by Hamilton in his book, ''Gallipoli Sniper: The life of Billy Sing'' (2008).<ref name="Nash2008"/><ref name="Hamilton2008">Hamilton (2008).</ref><ref name="NLA2009">[http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4349273/Details National Library of Australia: Gallipoli sniper – The life of Billy Sing / John Hamilton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613235626/http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4349273/Details |date=13 June 2011 }} (2009). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Hamilton's book includes a detailed account of how snipers worked at Gallipoli and their contribution to the progress of the campaign.<ref name="Wadsley2010">Wadsley (2010).</ref> Reviewer John Wadsley wrote that "Hamilton is able to bring together a range of sources to create the story, and while at times, you get the feeling he is padding it out to make up for the lack of direct material about Billy Sing, the book works."<ref name="Wadsley2010p6">Wadsley (2010), p. 6.</ref>


A television mini-series, ''The Legend of Billy Sing'', was in post-production as of 2010.<ref name="Mackay2010">Mackay, J. (2010): [http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2010/04/the-legend-of-billy-sing-miniseries.html?site=capricornia&program=capricornia_breakfast 'The Legend of Billy Sing' miniseries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822000849/http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2010/04/the-legend-of-billy-sing-miniseries.html?site=capricornia&program=capricornia_breakfast |date=22 August 2011 }} ''ABC Capricornia'' (23 April 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Despite some reports that it was based on Hamilton's book, the author maintained that he was never contacted by the film makers.<ref name="WhitsundayTimes2009">[http://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/story/2009/07/02/mini-series-on-our-billy-sing/ Mini series on our Billy Sing] ''Whitsunday Times'' (2 July 2009). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Callick2010b">Callick, R. (2010): [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/when-character-is-more-than-just-skin-deep/story-e6frg6zo-1225863615840 When character is more than just skin deep] ''The Australian'' (8 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> Although Sing and his father were partly Chinese and fully Chinese, respectively, the mini-series portrayed them with actors of European ancestry.<ref name="Callick2010a">Callick, R. (2010): [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/director-slammed-for-white-out-of-legendary-gallipoli-sniper/story-e6frg6nf-1225862770626 Director slammed for 'white-out' of legendary Gallipoli sniper Billy Sing] ''The Australian'' (6 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Bryant2010">Bryant, N. (2010): [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8670531.stm Chinese Australians angry at Gallipoli TV casting] ''BBC News'' (8 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="ACYA2010">[http://www.acya.org.au/?q=node/351 Australia-China Youth Association: Media release regarding the legend of Billy Sing] (13 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Dunn2010">Dunn, M. (2010): [http://www.thestar.com.au/Public/Template2/ThreadView.aspx?tid=31491 Sing film under fire]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''The Great Southern Star'' (18 May 2010). Retrieved 31 May 2010. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="Malkin2010">Malkin, B. (2010): [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/7685247/Row-over-whiting-out-of-Chinese-hero-in-new-TV-show.html Row over 'whiting out' of Chinese hero in new TV show] ''Telegraph'' (6 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> The director, Geoff Davis, was criticised for this decision.<ref name="Callick2010a"/><ref name="Bryant2010"/><ref name="ACYA2010"/><ref name="Dunn2010"/><ref name="Malkin2010"/><ref name="Hu2010">Hu, M. (2010): [http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/mandarin/highlight/page/id/84287/t/ANZAC-mini-series-on-Billy-Sing/in/english ANZAC mini-series on Billy Sing] {{in lang|zh}} ''SBS Audio and Language: Mandarin'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref><ref name="Atkins2010">Atkins, G. (2010): [http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/gavin-atkins-shadowlands/where-are-the-asian-australian-faces-on-aussie-tv Where are the Asian-Australian faces on Aussie TV?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514002413/http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/gavin-atkins-shadowlands/where-are-the-asian-australian-faces-on-aussie-tv |date=14 May 2010 }} ''Asian Correspondent'' (7 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>{{ref_label|F|f|none}} Politician [[Bill O'Chee]], a member of the Billy Sing Commemorative Committee, said, "When a person dies, all that is left is their story, and you can’t take a person’s name and not tell the truth about their story."<ref name="Dunn2010"/> Davis has said, "Whatever [Sing's] genetic background, his culture was Australian. To me, he's very representative of every Australian whose parents were not born here. ... A lot of people are sitting at the back of this bus attacking the driver. A lot of people feel they own the story of Billy Sing. But they've probably got more resources than me—if they want to tell that story, then tell it."<ref name="Callick2010a"/>
A television mini-series, ''The Legend of Billy Sing'', was in post-production as of 2010.<ref name="Mackay2010">Mackay, J. (2010): [http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2010/04/the-legend-of-billy-sing-miniseries.html?site=capricornia&program=capricornia_breakfast 'The Legend of Billy Sing' miniseries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822000849/http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2010/04/the-legend-of-billy-sing-miniseries.html?site=capricornia&program=capricornia_breakfast |date=22 August 2011 }} ''ABC Capricornia'' (23 April 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Despite some reports that it was based on Hamilton's book, the author maintained that he was never contacted by the film makers.<ref name="WhitsundayTimes2009">[http://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/story/2009/07/02/mini-series-on-our-billy-sing/ Mini series on our Billy Sing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706113400/http://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/story/2009/07/02/mini-series-on-our-billy-sing/ |date=6 July 2011 }} ''Whitsunday Times'' (2 July 2009). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Callick2010b">Callick, R. (2010): [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/when-character-is-more-than-just-skin-deep/story-e6frg6zo-1225863615840 When character is more than just skin deep] ''The Australian'' (8 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> Although Sing and his father were partly Chinese and fully Chinese, respectively, the mini-series portrayed them with actors of European ancestry.<ref name="Callick2010a">Callick, R. (2010): [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/director-slammed-for-white-out-of-legendary-gallipoli-sniper/story-e6frg6nf-1225862770626 Director slammed for 'white-out' of legendary Gallipoli sniper Billy Sing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402200539/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/director-slammed-for-white-out-of-legendary-gallipoli-sniper/story-e6frg6nf-1225862770626 |date=2 April 2011 }} ''The Australian'' (6 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Bryant2010">Bryant, N. (2010): [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8670531.stm Chinese Australians angry at Gallipoli TV casting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511164412/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8670531.stm |date=11 May 2010 }} ''BBC News'' (8 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="ACYA2010">[http://www.acya.org.au/?q=node/351 Australia-China Youth Association: Media release regarding the legend of Billy Sing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706123824/http://www.acya.org.au/?q=node/351 |date=6 July 2011 }} (13 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Dunn2010">Dunn, M. (2010): [http://www.thestar.com.au/Public/Template2/ThreadView.aspx?tid=31491 Sing film under fire] {{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''The Great Southern Star'' (18 May 2010). Retrieved 31 May 2010. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="Malkin2010">Malkin, B. (2010): [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/7685247/Row-over-whiting-out-of-Chinese-hero-in-new-TV-show.html Row over 'whiting out' of Chinese hero in new TV show] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117114515/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/7685247/Row-over-whiting-out-of-Chinese-hero-in-new-TV-show.html |date=17 January 2016 }} ''Telegraph'' (6 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> The director, Geoff Davis, was criticised for this decision.<ref name="Callick2010a"/><ref name="Bryant2010"/><ref name="ACYA2010"/><ref name="Dunn2010"/><ref name="Malkin2010"/><ref name="Hu2010">Hu, M. (2010): [http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/mandarin/highlight/page/id/84287/t/ANZAC-mini-series-on-Billy-Sing/in/english ANZAC mini-series on Billy Sing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518101845/http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/mandarin/highlight/page/id/84287/t/ANZAC-mini-series-on-Billy-Sing/in/english |date=18 May 2015 }} {{in lang|zh}} ''SBS Audio and Language: Mandarin'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref><ref name="Atkins2010">Atkins, G. (2010): [http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/gavin-atkins-shadowlands/where-are-the-asian-australian-faces-on-aussie-tv Where are the Asian-Australian faces on Aussie TV?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514002413/http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/gavin-atkins-shadowlands/where-are-the-asian-australian-faces-on-aussie-tv |date=14 May 2010 }} ''Asian Correspondent'' (7 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>{{ref_label|F|f|none}} Politician [[Bill O'Chee]], a member of the Billy Sing Commemorative Committee, said, "When a person dies, all that is left is their story, and you can’t take a person’s name and not tell the truth about their story."<ref name="Dunn2010"/> Davis has said, "Whatever [Sing's] genetic background, his culture was Australian. To me, he's very representative of every Australian whose parents were not born here. ... A lot of people are sitting at the back of this bus attacking the driver. A lot of people feel they own the story of Billy Sing. But they've probably got more resources than me—if they want to tell that story, then tell it."<ref name="Callick2010a"/>


Hamilton characterised Sing as "a cold-blooded killer ... [yet] a man with a sense of humour ... the Anzac angel of death,"<ref name="Hamilton2008pp5-6">Hamilton (2008), pp. 5–6.</ref> and Laws and Stewart described him simply as "one of many Australians of Chinese descent who served with distinction in the Australian forces during World War I."<ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/> Around 400 people of Chinese descent served in Australia's military forces during the 20th century.<ref name="Hui2002"/>
Hamilton characterised Sing as "a cold-blooded killer ... [yet] a man with a sense of humour ... the Anzac angel of death,"<ref name="Hamilton2008pp5-6">Hamilton (2008), pp. 5–6.</ref> and Laws and Stewart described him simply as "one of many Australians of Chinese descent who served with distinction in the Australian forces during World War I."<ref name="LawsStewart2006p25"/> Around 400 people of Chinese descent served in Australia's military forces during the 20th century.<ref name="Hui2002"/>


For the 100th anniversary commemoration of the Gallipoli landings, a monument was erected to Sing in the Lutwyche Cemetery in Brisbane, near his grave stone, by the Billy Sing Memorial Committee. It was officially unveiled on the anniversary of his death.<ref>{{cite news|last=Armbruster|first=Stefan|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/04/23/monument-chinese-gallipoli-sniper-rewrites-history|title=Monument for Chinese 'Gallipoli Sniper' rewrites history|work=SBS World News|date=23 April 2015|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="AUDictBio">{{cite web |url = http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sing-william-edward-billy-16348/text36048 |title = William Edward Sing |work = [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]] }}</ref>
For the 100th anniversary commemoration of the Gallipoli landings, a monument was erected to Sing in the Lutwyche Cemetery in Brisbane, near his grave stone, by the 31st Battalion Association Brisbane Branch, in conjunction with Kedron Wavell RSL, Chermside and District Historical Society, and Chinese Association of Queensland. It was officially unveiled on the anniversary of his death.<ref>{{cite news|last=Armbruster|first=Stefan|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/04/23/monument-chinese-gallipoli-sniper-rewrites-history|title=Monument for Chinese 'Gallipoli Sniper' rewrites history|work=SBS World News|date=23 April 2015|access-date=12 July 2015|archive-date=14 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714021506/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/04/23/monument-chinese-gallipoli-sniper-rewrites-history|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AUDictBio">{{cite book |chapter-url = http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sing-william-edward-billy-16348/text36048 |title = William Edward Sing |chapter = Sing, William Edward (Billy) (1886–1943) |work = [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]] |publisher = National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |access-date = 25 May 2024 |archive-date = 25 May 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240525051454/https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sing-william-edward-billy-16348/text36048 |url-status = live }}</ref>

Each year on the weekend immediately before Anzac Day (25 April), the William 'Billy' Sing Memorial Shooting Competition is held at the North Arm Rifle Range on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland using the Lee Enfield military service rifle. The competition is held over several hundred meters worth of stages with the highest scorer awarded the William 'Billy' Sing Memorial Trophy.


Each year on the weekend immediately before Anzac Day (25 April), the William 'Billy' Sing Memorial Shooting Competition is held at the North Arm Rifle Range on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland using the Lee Enfield military service rifle. The competition is held over several hundred metres worth of stages with the highest scorer awarded the William 'Billy' Sing Memorial Trophy.
<gallery caption="" class="center" >
[[File:Programme Billy Sing Memorial 2015.jpg|thumb|Programme Billy Sing Memorial Dedication 2015]]
File:AU-Qld-Kedron-Lutwyche-Cemetery-Billy SING memorial front-2021.jpg|frameless|Monument front, Lutwyche Cemetery
File:AU-Qld-Kedron-Lutwyche-Cemetery-Billy SING memorial rear-2021.jpg|frameless|Monument rear, Lutwyche Cemetery
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Military of Australia|World War I}}
{{Portal|Military of Australia}}
* [[Caleb Shang]]
* [[Caleb Shang]]
* [[History of Chinese Australians]]
* [[History of Chinese Australians]]
Line 122: Line 121:
'''e.''' {{note_label|E|e|none}} The spelling "Croux De Guerre" is as it appears on Sing's headstone.<ref name="Chermside2010"/>
'''e.''' {{note_label|E|e|none}} The spelling "Croux De Guerre" is as it appears on Sing's headstone.<ref name="Chermside2010"/>


'''f.''' {{note_label|F|f|none}} Mini-series director Geoff Davis asserted that he could not find a 60-year-old Chinese actor to play Sing's father;<ref name="Callick2010b"/> Chinese Australian actors Warren Lee and Tony Chu have expressed disagreement with this assertion.<ref name="Cuthbertson2010">Cuthbertson, I. (2010): [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/dozens-of-chinese-could-play-plum-role-says-actor/story-e6frg6nf-1225863326916 Dozens of Chinese could play plum role, says actor] ''The Australian'' (7 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> According to Australia's [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]], Davis said that he called for actors willing to work pro bono or for deferred payment, but no Chinese actors responded.<ref name="SBS2010">Special Broadcasting Service (c. 2010): [http://www.sbs.com.au/news/public/twn/trans.php?transcript=107807 Anger as White actor plays Chinese hero] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015192415/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/public/twn/trans.php?transcript=107807 |date=15 October 2012 }} Retrieved 1 October 2010.</ref> Josh Davis, the director's son, was cast as Sing.<ref name="Callick2010a"/><ref name="Bryant2010"/> [[Tony Bonner]] was cast as Sing's father.<ref name="Callick2010a"/> Apart from Australia, the controversy has been reported in Canada,<ref name="MalkinCalgaryHerald2010">Malkin, B. (2010): [https://calgaryherald.com/news/todays-paper/Filmmaker+accused+whiting+Aussie+Chinese+hero/2997447/story.html Filmmaker accused of 'whiting out' Aussie-Chinese hero]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Calgary Herald'' (7 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="CBC2010">[http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20100514.shtml As it happens: WWI Sniper] ''CBC Radio-Canada'' (14 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Kuwait,<ref name="ArabTimes2010">[http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/153629/reftab/96/Default.aspx ‘Whitewash’ of Chinese war hero provokes anger] ''Arab Times'' (9 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Macau,<ref name="MacauDailyTimes2010">[http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/asia-pacific/12058-Whitewash-Chinese-war-hero.html 'Whitewash’ of Chinese war hero] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009112800/http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/asia-pacific/12058-Whitewash-Chinese-war-hero.html |date=9 October 2011 }} ''Macau Daily Times'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Malaysia,<ref name="MalaysianMirror2010">[http://www.malaysianmirror.com/entertainment-detail/75-entertainment/39431-anger-at-aussie-films-whitewash-of-war-hero Anger at Aussie film's 'whitewash' of war hero] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816004925/http://www.malaysianmirror.com/entertainment-detail/75-entertainment/39431-anger-at-aussie-films-whitewash-of-war-hero |date=16 August 2011 }} ''Malaysian Mirror'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> New Zealand,<ref name="Marks2010">Marks, K. (2010): [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10644305 Movie takes the Chinese out of Aussie war hero] ''The New Zealand Herald'' (12 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Singapore,<ref name="StraitsTimes2010">[http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_524572.html Anger at film's 'whitewash'] ''The Straits Times'' (9 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Taiwan,<ref name="TaipeiTimes2010">[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2010/05/10/2003472629 Anger at Australian film’s ‘whitewash’ of Eurasian war hero] ''Taipei Times'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref><ref name="ChinaPost2010">[http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/australia/2010/05/10/255885/Australia-angered.htm Australia angered by film's 'whitewash' of Chinese hero] ''China Post'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Thailand,<ref name="BangkokPost2010">[http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/177353/ Anger at Australian film's 'whitewash' of war hero]{{dead link|date=October 2012}} ''Bangkok Post'' (9 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref name="Malkin2010"/>
'''f.''' {{note_label|F|f|none}} Mini-series director Geoff Davis asserted that he could not find a 60-year-old Chinese actor to play Sing's father;<ref name="Callick2010b"/> Chinese Australian actors Warren Lee and Tony Chu have expressed disagreement with this assertion.<ref name="Cuthbertson2010">Cuthbertson, I. (2010): [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/dozens-of-chinese-could-play-plum-role-says-actor/story-e6frg6nf-1225863326916 Dozens of Chinese could play plum role, says actor] ''The Australian'' (7 May 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> According to Australia's [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]], Davis said that he called for actors willing to work pro bono or for deferred payment, but no Chinese actors responded.<ref name="SBS2010">Special Broadcasting Service (c. 2010): [http://www.sbs.com.au/news/public/twn/trans.php?transcript=107807 Anger as White actor plays Chinese hero] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015192415/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/public/twn/trans.php?transcript=107807 |date=15 October 2012 }} Retrieved 1 October 2010.</ref> Josh Davis, the director's son, was cast as Sing.<ref name="Callick2010a"/><ref name="Bryant2010"/> [[Tony Bonner]] was cast as Sing's father.<ref name="Callick2010a"/> Apart from Australia, the controversy has been reported in Canada,<ref name="MalkinCalgaryHerald2010">Malkin, B. (2010): [https://calgaryherald.com/news/todays-paper/Filmmaker+accused+whiting+Aussie+Chinese+hero/2997447/story.html Filmmaker accused of 'whiting out' Aussie-Chinese hero] {{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Calgary Herald'' (7 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="CBC2010">[http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20100514.shtml As it happens: WWI Sniper] ''CBC Radio-Canada'' (14 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010. {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Kuwait,<ref name="ArabTimes2010">[http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/153629/reftab/96/Default.aspx ‘Whitewash’ of Chinese war hero provokes anger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306060522/http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/153629/reftab/96/Default.aspx |date=6 March 2012 }} ''Arab Times'' (9 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Macau,<ref name="MacauDailyTimes2010">[http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/asia-pacific/12058-Whitewash-Chinese-war-hero.html 'Whitewash’ of Chinese war hero] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009112800/http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/asia-pacific/12058-Whitewash-Chinese-war-hero.html |date=9 October 2011 }} ''Macau Daily Times'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Malaysia,<ref name="MalaysianMirror2010">[http://www.malaysianmirror.com/entertainment-detail/75-entertainment/39431-anger-at-aussie-films-whitewash-of-war-hero Anger at Aussie film's 'whitewash' of war hero] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816004925/http://www.malaysianmirror.com/entertainment-detail/75-entertainment/39431-anger-at-aussie-films-whitewash-of-war-hero |date=16 August 2011 }} ''Malaysian Mirror'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> New Zealand,<ref name="Marks2010">Marks, K. (2010): [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10644305 Movie takes the Chinese out of Aussie war hero] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023052027/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10644305 |date=23 October 2012 }} ''The New Zealand Herald'' (12 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Singapore,<ref name="StraitsTimes2010">[http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_524572.html Anger at film's 'whitewash'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512155957/http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_524572.html |date=12 May 2010 }} ''The Straits Times'' (9 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> Taiwan,<ref name="TaipeiTimes2010">[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2010/05/10/2003472629 Anger at Australian film’s ‘whitewash’ of Eurasian war hero] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515040640/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2010/05/10/2003472629 |date=15 May 2010 }} ''Taipei Times'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref><ref name="ChinaPost2010">[http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/australia/2010/05/10/255885/Australia-angered.htm Australia angered by film's 'whitewash' of Chinese hero] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920235405/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/australia/2010/05/10/255885/Australia-angered.htm |date=20 September 2012 }} ''China Post'' (10 May 2010). Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref> Thailand,<ref name="BangkokPost2010">[http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/177353/ Anger at Australian film's 'whitewash' of war hero] {{dead link|date=October 2012}} ''Bangkok Post'' (9 May 2010). Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> and the United Kingdom.<ref name="Malkin2010"/>


{{refend}}
{{refend}}
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=== Sources ===
=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |last = Courtney |first = Bob |url = http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/2/gallipoli/pdf_files/Gallmark.pdf |title = Anzac: Gallipoli Marksman |website = The Joint Imperial War Museum / Australian War Memorial Battlefield Study Tour to Gallipoli |date = September 2000 }}
* {{cite web |last = Courtney |first = Bob |url = http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/2/gallipoli/pdf_files/Gallmark.pdf |title = Anzac: Gallipoli Marksman |website = The Joint Imperial War Museum / Australian War Memorial Battlefield Study Tour to Gallipoli |date = September 2000 |access-date = 11 June 2010 |archive-date = 8 June 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110608150855/http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/2/gallipoli/pdf_files/Gallmark.pdf |url-status = dead }}
* {{cite book |last = Hamilton |first = John C. M. |title = Gallipoli Sniper: The life of Billy Sing |location = Sydney |publisher= Pan Macmillan Australia |year = 2008 |isbn = 978-1-4050-3865-2}}
* {{cite book |last = Hamilton |first = John C. M. |title = Gallipoli Sniper: The life of Billy Sing |location = Sydney |publisher= Pan Macmillan Australia |year = 2008 |isbn = 978-1-4050-3865-2}}
* {{cite book |last = Idriess |first = Ion Llewellyn |title = Lurking death: True stories of snipers in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine |location= Sydney |publisher= Angus and Robertson |year = 1942 }}
* {{cite book |last = Idriess |first = Ion Llewellyn |title = Lurking death: True stories of snipers in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine |location= Sydney |publisher= Angus and Robertson |year = 1942 }}
* {{cite news |last = Kelly |first = Darryl |title = Lance Corporal Charles Bunney: Unmarked but not forgotten |url = http://anzacday.org.au/justsoldiers/bunney.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100917094150/http://anzacday.org.au/justsoldiers/bunney.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2010-09-17 |work = Just Soldiers: Stories of ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things in times of war |pages=47–53 |location=Brisbane |publisher= ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee |year = 2004 |isbn=978-0-9581-6254-8 }}
* {{cite news |last = Kelly |first = Darryl |title = Lance Corporal Charles Bunney: Unmarked but not forgotten |url = http://anzacday.org.au/justsoldiers/bunney.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100917094150/http://anzacday.org.au/justsoldiers/bunney.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2010-09-17 |work = Just Soldiers: Stories of ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things in times of war |pages = 47–53 |location = Brisbane |publisher = ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee |year = 2004 |isbn = 978-0-9581-6254-8 }}
* {{cite news |last1 = Laws |first1 = J. |last2 = Stewart |first2 = C. R. |title = The Assassin |work=There's always more to the story|year = 2006 |pages=21–26 |location= Sydney |publisher= Pan Macmillan Australia |isbn=978-0-3304-2282-6 }}
* {{cite news |last1 = Laws |first1 = J. |last2 = Stewart |first2 = C. R. |title = The Assassin |work=There's always more to the story|year = 2006 |pages=21–26 |location= Sydney |publisher= Pan Macmillan Australia |isbn=978-0-3304-2282-6 }}
* {{cite news |last=Wadsley |first = John |url = http://soldierswalk.org.au/Newsletters/FOSMA%2048.pdf |title=Gallipoli Sniper by John Hamilton |work=Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue Newsletter |issue=48 |date=April 2010 |pages=5–6 |access-date=12 June 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110216093821/http://soldierswalk.org.au/Newsletters/FOSMA%2048.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite news |last=Wadsley |first=John |url=http://soldierswalk.org.au/Newsletters/FOSMA%2048.pdf |title=Gallipoli Sniper by John Hamilton |work=Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue Newsletter |issue=48 |date=April 2010 |pages=5–6 |access-date=12 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216093821/http://soldierswalk.org.au/Newsletters/FOSMA%2048.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |publisher = [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] |url = http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=4375195 |title = William Edward Sing |website = [[National Archives of Australia]] }}
* {{cite web |publisher = [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] |url = http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=4375195 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121128222620/http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=4375195 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 28 November 2012 |title = William Edward Sing |website = [[National Archives of Australia]] }}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{cite book |chapter-url = http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sing-william-edward-billy-16348/text36048 |title = William Edward Sing |chapter = Sing, William Edward (Billy) (1886–1943) |website = [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]] |publisher = National Centre of Biography, Australian National University }}
* {{Worldcat subject|lccn-n2008068648}}
* {{cite web |url = http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sing-william-edward-billy-16348/text36048 |title = William Edward Sing |website = [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]] }}


{{World War I snipers|state=collapsed}}
{{World War I snipers|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Burials at Lutwyche Cemetery]]
[[Category:Military snipers]]
[[Category:Military snipers]]
[[Category:People from Central Queensland]]
[[Category:People from Clermont, Queensland]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Australian recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Australian stockmen]]
[[Category:People from Proserpine, Queensland]]

Latest revision as of 00:07, 13 November 2024

Billy Sing
Formal studio photograph of Billy Sing
W. E. Sing, c. 1918
Australian War memorial P03633.006
Birth nameWilliam Edward Sing
Nickname(s)The Assassin, The Murderer, Billy
Born(1886-03-02)2 March 1886
Clermont, Queensland
Died19 May 1943(1943-05-19) (aged 57)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried
AllegianceAustralia
Service / branchAustralian Imperial Force
Years of service1914–1918
RankTrooper
Service number355A
Unit5th Light Horse Regiment
31st Infantry Battalion
Battles / wars
AwardsDistinguished Conduct Medal
Mentioned in Despatches
Croix de guerre (Belgium)
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth A. Stewart
(m. 1917)
Other workStockman, sheep farmer, gold miner

William Edward Sing, DCM (3 March 1886 – 19 May 1943), known as Billy Sing, was an Australian soldier of Chinese and English descent who served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, best known as a sniper during the Gallipoli Campaign.[1][2][3][4][a] He took at least 150 confirmed kills during that campaign, and may have had over 200 kills in total.[3][4] However, contemporary evidence puts his tally at close to 300 kills.[5] Towards the end of the war, Sing married a Scottish woman, but the relationship did not last long.[2] Following work in sheep farming and gold mining, he died in relative poverty and obscurity in Brisbane during World War II.[2][6]

Early life

[edit]

Sing was born on 3 March 1886 in Clermont, Queensland, Australia, the son of a Chinese father and an English mother.[4][7][8][9] His parents were John Sing (c. 1842–1921), a drover from Shanghai, China, and Mary Ann Sing (née Pugh; c. 1857–unknown), a nurse from Kingswinford, Staffordshire, England.[10][11][b][12] Sing's mother had given birth to a daughter named Mary Ann Elizabeth Pugh on 28 May 1883, less than two months before marrying Sing's father on 4 July 1883.[13] It is unclear whether this child was John Sing's daughter as well.[14] A daughter, Beatrice Sing, was later born into the family on 12 July 1893.[15] The three children grew up together on the farm run by the Sings, and all three performed well academically.[16]

There was considerable anti-Chinese sentiment in Australia at this time.[9][17] As a boy, Sing was well known for his shooting skill, but was the subject of racial prejudice due to his ancestry.[18] He began work hauling timber as a youth,[9] and later worked as a stockman and a sugarcane cutter.[1][2] Sing became well known for his marksmanship, both as a kangaroo shooter and as a competitive target shooter.[2][8] In the latter role, he was a member of the Proserpine Rifle Club (one of the many rifle clubs in Queensland that were partially sponsored by the Queensland and Australian defence forces to develop shooting skills).[2][19][20] He regularly won prizes for his shooting, and also played cricket with skill.[21]

On 24 October 1914, two months after the outbreak of war, Sing enlisted as a trooper in the Australian 5th Light Horse Regiment of the Australian Imperial Force.[2][4][22][23] His Certificate of Medical Examination at the time showed that he stood at 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) and weighed 141 pounds (64 kg).[24] According to John Laws and Christopher Stewart, he was accepted into the army only after a recruitment officer chose to disregard the fact that Sing was part Chinese; at the time, only those of European ancestry were generally considered suitable for Australian military service.[25][26][27]

Military service

[edit]

Gallipoli Campaign

[edit]
Photograph of Anzac Cove in Turkey
Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Turkish soil at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915

Sing began his military career as part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) forces in the Gallipoli Campaign in modern day Turkey. Biographer John Hamilton described the Turkish terrain thus: "It is a country made for snipers. The Anzac and Turkish positions often overlooked each other. Each side sent out marksmen to hunt and stalk and snipe, to wait and shoot and kill, creeping with stealth through the green and brown shrubbery ..."[28] Sing partnered with spotters Ion 'Jack' Idriess and, later, Tom Sheehan.[2] The spotter's task was to observe (spot) the surrounding terrain and alert the sniper to potential targets.[29] Idriess described Sing as "a little chap, very dark, with a jet black moustache and goatee beard. A picturesque looking mankiller. He is the crack shot of the Anzacs."[11]

Chatham's Post, a position named after a Light Horse officer, was Sing's first sniping post.[2] Biographer Brian Tate wrote, "It was here that Billy Sing began in earnest his lethal occupation."[2] He set about his task with a Lee–Enfield .303 rifle.[30] An account by Private Frank Reed, a fellow Australian soldier, states that Sing was so close to the Turkish lines that enemy artillery rarely troubled him.[3] His comrades left three particular enemy positions to his attention: a trench at 350 yards (320 m) from his post, a communication sap at 500 yards (460 m), and a track in a gully at 1,000 yards (910 m).[3] According to Reed, "Every time Billy Sing felt sorry for the poor Turks, he remembered how their snipers picked off the Australian officers in the early days of the landing, and he hardened his heart. But he never fired at a stretcher-bearer or any of the soldiers who were trying to rescue wounded Turks."[3] In contrast, Hamilton said in a 2008 interview, "We have an anecdote where, after spotting an injured Turk, he said 'I'll put that poor cuss out of his agony' and just shot him. He was a very tough man."[9]

Sing's reputation resulted in a champion Turkish sniper, nicknamed 'Abdul the Terrible' by the Allied side, being assigned to deal with him.[2][30] Tate alleges that the Turks were largely able to distinguish Sing's sniping from that of other ANZAC soldiers, and that only the reports of incidents believed to be Sing's work were passed on to Abdul.[2] Through analysis of the victims' actions and wounds, Abdul concluded that Sing's position was at Chatham's Post.[2] After several days, Sing's spotter alerted him to a potential target, and he took aim, only to find the target—Abdul—looking in his direction.[2] Sing prepared to fire, trying not to reveal his position, but the Turkish sniper noticed him and began his own firing sequence.[2] Sing fired first and killed Abdul.[2] Very shortly thereafter, the Turkish artillery fired on Sing's position—he and his spotter barely managed to evacuate from Chatham's Post alive.[2]

Near the beginning of August 1915, Sing was hospitalised for four days with influenza.[31] That same month, an enemy sniper's bullet struck Sheehan's spotting telescope, injuring his hands and face, and then hit Sing's shoulder, but the latter was back in action after a week's recuperation.[2][29][32][33] Sheehan was more severely wounded, and was shipped back to Australia.[2] This was reportedly the only time that Sing was injured at Gallipoli.[32] He would not fare so well later on in the war.

Photograph of General Sir Ian Hamilton
Sing's first official commendation came from General Sir Ian Hamilton

Sniping record

[edit]

Sing's marksmanship at Gallipoli saw him dubbed 'The Assassin' or 'The Murderer' by his comrades.[7][30][34] He reportedly acquired the latter nickname due to his callous attitude towards the enemy.[29][35] By early September 1915, he had taken 119 kills, according to Brigadier-General Granville Ryrie, commanding officer of the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade.[36] Regimental records list Sing as having taken 150 confirmed kills, but on 23 October 1915, General William Birdwood, commander of ANZAC forces, issued an order complimenting him on his 201 unconfirmed kills.[2][32] Historian Bob Courtney noted that an official kill was recorded only if the spotter saw the target fall.[29] If the first shot missed the target, it was very risky to take a second shot, as this could give away the sniper team's position.[29]

Major Stephen Midgely estimated Sing's tally at close to 300 kills.[5] Midgely had brought him to the attention of Birdwood, who in turn had told Lord Kitchener that "if his troops could match the capacity of the Queensland sniper the allied forces would soon be in Constantinople."[29] Birdwood had reportedly joined Sing as his spotter on one occasion, and had the opportunity to witness his marksmanship first hand.[2][29]

In February 1916, Sing was Mentioned in Despatches by General Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.[2][8][32][37] This was the first official recognition of his service.[32] On 10 March 1916, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal,[2][8][29][32][38] with a related entry in military records reading: "For conspicuous gallantry from May to September, 1915, at Anzac, as a sniper. His courage and skill were most marked, and he was responsible for a very large number of casualties among the enemy, no risk being too great for him to take."[39] Apart from the recognition he received from his superiors, Sing's exploits were also reported in British and American newspapers of the time.[2][9][32][40]

Western Front

[edit]

At the end of November 1915, Sing suffered from myalgia and was confined to the hospital ship HMHS Gloucester Castle for almost two weeks.[41] During this time, he was conveyed to Malta, then Ismaïlia, Egypt.[42] While in Egypt, he was also hospitalised with parotitis and mumps, but rejoined his unit at the end of March 1916.[42] Australian soldiers stationed in Egypt including Billy Sing were major customers of Egyptian prostitutes in the local red light districts and brothels. High prices by the prostitutes led to the Wasser red light area becoming the scene of a major riot by New Zealand and Australian soldiers on Good Friday in 1915.[43]

Sing transferred to the 31st Infantry Battalion on 27 July 1916 at Tel-el-Kibir and sailed to England the following month.[44] Following a brief period of training in England, he sailed for France and entered action on the Western Front in January 1917.[2][25][44] He was wounded in action several times,[2][9][25] and commended many times in reports by Allied commanders.[25] In March 1917, he was wounded in the left leg and hospitalised in England.[45] In May 1917, while recovering in Scotland, he met waitress Elizabeth A. Stewart (c. 1896–unknown),[2][9][33][46] who was the daughter of Royal Navy cook George Stewart.[26][46] The two were married on 29 June 1917 in Edinburgh.[2][9][25][46][c] In July 1917, Elizabeth Sing's address was noted in records as 6 Spring Gardens, Stockbridge, Edinburgh.[47]

After a month with his new wife, Sing returned to the trenches in France in August 1917,[25][33][48] but was in very poor health due to his battle wounds and the effects of gas poisoning.[8][33] It is not clear whether he operated as a sniper on the Western Front, but in September 1917, he led a unit in the Battle of Polygon Wood in counter-sniper operations.[2][25] For this action, he was awarded the Oorlogskruis (Belgian Croix de Guerre) in 1918,[2][25][49] and was also recommended for the Military Medal—but never received it.[2][9][25] In November 1917, he was confined to hospital again due to problems with his previously wounded leg.[48] In mid-February 1918, he was hospitalised due to a gunshot wound in the back.[50] Sing suffered lung disease from his exposure to gas, and it soon brought his military career to an end.[33]

Return to civilian life

[edit]

Sing returned to Australia on submarine guard duty in late July 1918.[2][51][52] An army medical report from 23 November 1918 noted that he had gunshot wounds in the left shoulder, back, and left leg, and had suffered gas poisoning.[53] The report stated that his general health was 'good' but that he complained of coughing upon exertion.[53] It recognised that Sing's disability were the result of service, was permanent, and recommended that he be discharged as permanently unfit for service.[53] Following his departure from the army, he briefly turned his hand to sheep farming, but the land he was given was of poor quality.[33] He then worked as a gold miner.[33]

According to some accounts, Sing and his wife were honoured by the local community when they arrived in Proserpine, Queensland, in late 1918.[2][54][55] Other accounts, however, state that although Sing arranged for passage from Scotland to Australia for his wife, there was no evidence that she made the journey.[9][26][33][d] If Sing's wife did come to Australia, it appears that she left her husband after a few years;[2][54] Tate suggests that the "transition from the green hills and ancient culture of Edinburgh to the dust and rough life of the mining district around Clermont must have been traumatic for Elizabeth Sing" and might have been a reason for her departure.[2]

Recent research has shown that Elizabeth remained in Edinburgh. She had had a daughter (Mary) in 1919 and a son (Theo) in 1924, to different fathers (neither of whom was Billy Sing). She travelled to Australia during 1925 with her two children, and settled in Paddington, NSW. She adopted the surname of her son's father. She lived in New South Wales with her son's father until her death in Wollongong in the 1970s. It is not known whether she had any contact with Billy after her arrival in Australia.[56]

Later life and death

[edit]
Photograph of a public park in West End, Brisbane
In contrast to his fame during World War I, Sing died in relative poverty and obscurity in West End, Brisbane

In later life, Sing reported chest, back, and heart pain.[33] His final days were spent in relative poverty and obscurity.[9] His elder sister or half-sister, Mary Ann Elizabeth, had died in childbirth in 1915.[15] In 1942, Sing moved from Miclere to Brisbane, telling his surviving sister Beatrice that it was cheaper to live there.[2][55][57] His final occupation was as a labourer.[55]

Sing died alone in his room in a boarding house in West End, Brisbane, on 19 May 1943.[2][8][33][55] The cause of death was a ruptured aorta.[2][54] His only significant possessions were a hut (worth around £20) on a mining claim and a mere 5 shillings found with him in his room.[2][33] There was no sign of his medals from World War I, and his employers owed him around £6 in wages.[2] Sing was buried in the Lutwyche War Cemetery,[58] in Kedron, a northern suburb of Brisbane.[8][33][59] His grave is now part of the lawn cemetery section of the Lutwyche Cemetery,[60] and the inscription on his bronze plaque reads:

AT REST
WILLIAM EDWARD (BILLY) SING (DCM)
Born Clermont Qld. 2–3–1886 — 19–5–1943
Reg. No. 355 Australian Fifth Light Horse Regiment and later the 31st Infantry Battalion
Son of JOHN SING (bn. SHANGHAI) and MARY ANN (nee PUGH bn. ENGLAND)
AND MARRIED FOR A TIME TO ELIZABETH (STEWART) IN EDINBURGH 29–6–1917
A man of all trades, Pte. Sing was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry, the Belgian Croux [sic] De Guerre and mentioned often in despatches. Serving at Gallipoli and in France from 1915–1918, he became known as Australia's most effective marksman/sniper accounting for more than 150 of the opposing forces.
His incredible accuracy contributed greatly to the preservation of the lives of those with whom he served during a war always remembered for countless acts of valour and tragic carnage.[60][61][e]

Legacy

[edit]

The Queensland Military Historical Society set up a bronze plaque at 304 Montague Road, South Brisbane, where Sing had died.[33][54] In 1995, a statue of Sing was unveiled with honour in his home town of Clermont.[33] In 2004, an Australian Army sniper team in Baghdad named their post the 'Billy Sing Bar & Grill.'[33] On 19 May 2009, the 66th anniversary of Sing's death, the Chinese Consul-General, Ren Gongping, along with Returned and Services League of Australia officers and community leaders, laid wreaths at his grave.[8][33][62] Ren said, "Billy Sing is a symbol of the long history of Chinese in Australia, and the great role they have played in your nation's past ... It also reminds us that China and Australia were allies through both world wars, and that we have a long and proud shared past."[8]

Billy Sing's medals on display at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

Sing's life was recounted in a chapter of Laws and Stewart's book, There's always more to the story (2006),[63] and in greater depth by Hamilton in his book, Gallipoli Sniper: The life of Billy Sing (2008).[9][64][65] Hamilton's book includes a detailed account of how snipers worked at Gallipoli and their contribution to the progress of the campaign.[66] Reviewer John Wadsley wrote that "Hamilton is able to bring together a range of sources to create the story, and while at times, you get the feeling he is padding it out to make up for the lack of direct material about Billy Sing, the book works."[67]

A television mini-series, The Legend of Billy Sing, was in post-production as of 2010.[68] Despite some reports that it was based on Hamilton's book, the author maintained that he was never contacted by the film makers.[69][70] Although Sing and his father were partly Chinese and fully Chinese, respectively, the mini-series portrayed them with actors of European ancestry.[71][72][73][74][75] The director, Geoff Davis, was criticised for this decision.[71][72][73][74][75][76][77][f] Politician Bill O'Chee, a member of the Billy Sing Commemorative Committee, said, "When a person dies, all that is left is their story, and you can’t take a person’s name and not tell the truth about their story."[74] Davis has said, "Whatever [Sing's] genetic background, his culture was Australian. To me, he's very representative of every Australian whose parents were not born here. ... A lot of people are sitting at the back of this bus attacking the driver. A lot of people feel they own the story of Billy Sing. But they've probably got more resources than me—if they want to tell that story, then tell it."[71]

Hamilton characterised Sing as "a cold-blooded killer ... [yet] a man with a sense of humour ... the Anzac angel of death,"[78] and Laws and Stewart described him simply as "one of many Australians of Chinese descent who served with distinction in the Australian forces during World War I."[25] Around 400 people of Chinese descent served in Australia's military forces during the 20th century.[27]

For the 100th anniversary commemoration of the Gallipoli landings, a monument was erected to Sing in the Lutwyche Cemetery in Brisbane, near his grave stone, by the 31st Battalion Association Brisbane Branch, in conjunction with Kedron Wavell RSL, Chermside and District Historical Society, and Chinese Association of Queensland. It was officially unveiled on the anniversary of his death.[79][57]

Each year on the weekend immediately before Anzac Day (25 April), the William 'Billy' Sing Memorial Shooting Competition is held at the North Arm Rifle Range on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland using the Lee Enfield military service rifle. The competition is held over several hundred metres worth of stages with the highest scorer awarded the William 'Billy' Sing Memorial Trophy.

Programme Billy Sing Memorial Dedication 2015

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

a. ^ There appears to have been at least one other Australian soldier named William Sing who fought in World War I.[80]

b. ^ Sing's father was also known as Richard Sing.[10] Sing's paternal grandfather was See Sing.[10] Sing's mother arrived in Australia in 1881.[14] Sing's maternal grandparents were John Pugh, a clerk, and Mary Ann Pugh (née Pearson).[14]

c. ^ A certified extract of the Sings' marriage certificate shows that Sing's father had died by this time,[46] but Hamilton states that Sing's father died in 1921, four years after the wedding.[10]

d. ^ Historian Alastair Kennedy (2009) reported that Sing's medical records from December 1917, a few months after he married, stated that he was diagnosed at first with venereal disease and then syphilis.[26] Kennedy hypothesises that Elizabeth Sing might have learned of her husband's condition and decided to end the marriage.[26]

e. ^ The spelling "Croux De Guerre" is as it appears on Sing's headstone.[60]

f. ^ Mini-series director Geoff Davis asserted that he could not find a 60-year-old Chinese actor to play Sing's father;[70] Chinese Australian actors Warren Lee and Tony Chu have expressed disagreement with this assertion.[81] According to Australia's SBS, Davis said that he called for actors willing to work pro bono or for deferred payment, but no Chinese actors responded.[82] Josh Davis, the director's son, was cast as Sing.[71][72] Tony Bonner was cast as Sing's father.[71] Apart from Australia, the controversy has been reported in Canada,[83][84] Kuwait,[85] Macau,[86] Malaysia,[87] New Zealand,[88] Singapore,[89] Taiwan,[90][91] Thailand,[92] and the United Kingdom.[75]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Hamilton (2008), p. 5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Tate, B. (1993): Trooper William Edward (Billy) Sing, DCM, Croix de Guerre, 1886–1943: "The Assassin of Gallipoli" Archived 12 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Courier Mail Weekend (24 April 1993). Retrieved 26 May 2010. Alternative copy Archived 16 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e Reed, F. (1916): Billy Sing: Famous Australian sniper Archived 11 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine The Mercury (13 March 1916, p. 4). Retrieved 26 May 2010.
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