08/22/2026
💭 Did you know...? 💭
One of the 411,429 men that trained at Sampson Naval Base had a familiar last name that many of you may recognize, and sailor is William Patrick Hi**er.
He traveled far in order to fight the man behind the N**i leadership that he once considered his Uncle. Born to Brigid, or Bridget, Dowling and Alois Hi**er on March 12th 1911, William P. Hi**er came into the world. 🌎 Brigid, Alois, and William were living in Liverpool, England where Alois opened a restaurant and bought a boarding house and hotel. It wasn't long before Alois went bankrupt💰. In 1914 Alois Jr. abandoned his wife and three-year-old William to travel throughout Europe. Subsequently trapped in Germany after the outbreak of the Great War, he settled down and took another wife and started another family.
Sources differ on what happened next between Alois and Brigid. It's reported that Alois started up a razor business while in Germany and that he asked Brigid to join him. Another source says that for years Alois made no attempt to contact his family back in Liverpool. Even having someone else tell Brigid that he was dead in the Ukraine in 1920. Alois was charged with bigamy in 1924 for his German marriage, since he was still technically married to Brigid. Luckily for him Brigid was kind enough to divorce him, so these charges were dropped. When Alois wrote to her to thank her, he asked for William Patrick to come visit. Brigid made it very clear she would not allow that.
That is until William Patrick turned 18 in 1929. He took a two-week holiday from the London engineering firm he was working for to head to Germany. During his visit he was hoping to meet with his rising to power Uncle, and he did. Williams father took him to a N**i Rally where his Uncle addressed 30,000 people in Nuremburg.
Once Adolf became German Chancellor in 1933 William returned to Berlin hoping to gain a job through his familial ties. This connection to Adolf, that William wrote about and published in 1931 📖, lead to him being fired from his job in London in 1932, and thus he needed to go to Germany to be employed. Hi**er found him a middle ranking job at a bank. Then found him another job in 1935 when William asked again, setting up William to work at the Opel Automotive, a car factory. One year after he started work at Opel car manufacturing, he was abruptly suspended from work. William found out his Uncle had revoked his work permit. When he asked why Adolf told him to give up his British nationality. William Patrick left Germany in 1939 to find a way to fight back against the Chancellor.
First returning to Britain 🇬🇧 and his mother, William Patrick tried to join the British armed forces, but was rejected for his namesake. Also, in 1939 he wrote an article for "Look" magazine titled, "Why I Hate My Uncle". After having no luck in Britain William and his mother traveled
to the United States. William went on a lecture tour throughout the U.S, sharing what he had learned about his Uncle and the N**i regime. The lecture tour itself was sponsored by William Randolph Hurst. William and his mother tried to return to Britain, but with the second world war now in full swing, thanks to his Uncle, they were not able to return. He thus tried to join the United States armed forces, determined to do something. Once again, he was turned down because of his relation to Adolf. He grew so desperate that he wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking to be admitted into the U.S military. After having his background checked by the F.B.I, he was finally cleared for military service.
William Patrick Hi**er was sworn into the United States Navy ⚓️ in New York City on
March 6th 1944. On either March 7h or March 8th, sources refer to both dates, William arrived at Sampson Naval Base to start his boot 👢 training, according to a newspaper article donated by Lewis and Connie Kime, and an article from the Sampson News on March 10th, 1944. William started his training here at Sampson at the age of 32. A little older compared to most of his fellow recruits! William belonged to the Callaghan Unit Co. 104 during his Naval training and went on to be part of the Naval Medical Corps and spent three years as a Pharmacists mate. He even received the Purple heart 💜 for a wound that he suffered, the nature of the wound is not written. William was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1947.
Relieved of his Naval Duties, and his Uncle dead, William Patrick finally sought out to
change the last name that had brought him so much attention and trouble. He was successful, changing from William Hi**er to William Stuart-Houston. This name was created from the name of a relative and the name of an author William enjoyed. Along with his name change William married a fellow German immigrant, Phyllis Jean-Jacques. 👩❤️👨She was sent to the United States for safety when the war broke out. William, his mother, and Phyllis moved to a quiet town in New York.
One source, amercianwwii.com, believes this town is Patchogue, New York. Brigid, Williams mother, died in 1967 at the age of 78. She supposedly lived in "a small wooden clapperboard cottage next to her son's home" 🏠 . The couple moved into a new home in a community on the outskirts of the same town where they'd lived since 1949. 1949 was a significant year for William and Phyllis welcomed their first child. 1951 brought their second and in 1965 their third and final child was born. William ran a blood analysis lab called Brookhaven Laboratories out of their home while their children were growing up.
As the children grew older, they never married nor had children of their own. All three were aware that their bloodline would end with them. They did not wish to burden their significant others or possible future children with their family secret. Though, it's not really a secret anymore, is it? 🤐
At the age of 76 William Stuart-Houston died a sudden death after contracting a bronchial infection. William chose a catholic cemetery to spend his final days, where he is buried alongside his mother. 💐
