Urban Stanley Billing was born at St Kilda, Victoria, on 4 October 1889, one of four children born to William Urban Billing and Edith Sarah (née Bulstrode). Billing was working as a farmer at Warracknabeal, Victoria, when he married Louisa Anne Salter in 1914. They had two children, Ella (in 1915) and John (1916).

Billing enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 17 April 1917. Having previously served with the Light Horse in 1912, Billing was assigned to the 8th Australian Light Horse Regiment with the rank of private. He left Melbourne aboard HMAT Commonwealth on 2 November 1917. Following several weeks with the 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment at Moascar in North Egypt, Billing joined his unit on 4 April 1918. On 20 July he was transferred to the School of Instruction at Beit Jala Mussalabeh. He rejoined his unit on 31 August in time for the final allied offensive into Palestine and the capture of Damascus from Turkish Forces.

Billing became ill towards the end of the offensive and was admitted to the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance on 20 October. On 12 November he was transferred to 14 Australian General Hospital at Port Said, where he was treated for debility and adenoids. It was during his hospital stay at Port Said that Billing received a letter from his brother, Charles Heybourne Billing, who had been injured in France on 5 October, sustaining a gunshot wound to his right elbow and losing the use of his right hand.

After 57 days in hospital, Urban Billing was transferred to the Boulac Convalescent Depot in Cairo on 8 January 1919. Following 14 days leave in late January, Billing was again admitted to hospital on 5 February where he remained until he boarded HT Dorset for Australia on 29 April 1919.

After his return to Australia on 11 June 1919, Billing resumed farming at Warracknabeal. He and his wife had one more child, Keith, who died in 1939. Their older son John joined the RAAF in 1936 and served during the Second World War. He was serving with No. 455 Squadron in the United Kingdom when he was killed in an accident on 1 July 1944, aged 28. Their daughter, Ella, served with the Australian Army Nursing Service.

Billing died at Mildura Victoria on 19 September 1992, aged 103.