HILL George

George Hill enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 11th September 1914 at Fremantle, Australia.  On his attestation paper he gave his place of birth as Northfield, Worcestershire, England, his age as 21 years and 7 months and his occupation as a Miner.  His next of kin was his father, Alfred Hill, Rednal House Farm, Rednal, Birmingham, England.  George was 5 feet 10 inches tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair.

On 2nd March 1915 he embarked on the Ionian to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli.  On 23rd May 1915 George was admitted to hospital in Alexandria with myalgia.  He was discharged on 31st May and rejoined his battalion at Gallipoli on 13th June 1915.  He was reported wounded on 22nd July 1915 and was evacuated on a hospital ship to Malta where he was admitted to Valetta hospital on 28th July 1915 with a bomb wound to his right foot.  The following month on 23rd August he embarked for England where he was admitted to the military hospital in Hampstead suffering from Dysentery on 30th August.  After his discharge from hospital on 19th October 1915 George spent some time on “Standby” before returning to Alexandria on 5th March 1916. He transferred to the Pioneer Battalion on 11th March 1916, leaving Alexandria on 26th March 1916 to join the British Expeditionary Force in France, arriving in Marseilles on 2nd April 1916.  On 17th November 1916 George was wounded in action.  He died of multiple shell wounds at the 4th Australian Field Ambulance, France and was buried at Bernafay Wood British Cemetery, three quarters of a mile East of Montauban, two miles North of Maricourt, six and a quarter miles East of Albert.

Australian Service Records Reference: Barcode 3012013 Series Accession No B2455 Location: Canberra
Accessed via:  https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/
Link still valid 15th February 2025

The following information has been researched and transcribed by Jeff Taylor:
Rednal-Australian Killed in Action
Mr and Mrs Alfred Hill, of Rednal House Farm, Rednal, have just received the sad news of the death of their son, Private George Hill, while serving in a Pioneer Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.  He was 23 years of age, and worked on the farm until some four years ago, when he went to Australia to join his elder brother, who is now Lieutenant A.T. Hill. When war broke out both brothers nobly responded to the old country’s call, and fought together at Gallipoli, both receiving wounds.  Afterwards they were transferred to France, where the elder brother obtained his commission.  The chaplain, who conveyed the sad news in a very sympathetic letter, writes: “Private Hill was killed on the 16th November. He was out with a working party, when a shell exploded near to him, wounding so as to cause his death shortly afterwards.  His friends carried his body to the British Cemetery, where we buried him with full honours.”