Hill Arthur Charles 1890

ARTHUR CHARLES HILL

1890-1967

Father Nm: Arthur Hill, b. 1865, Southall d. Q1 1923, Hendon
Mother Nm: Eliza Sarah Hurley b.1868 Hendon d. Q1 1927, Hendon
Marriage Dt:1920 at Hendon to Fanny Blincoe

K comments: Father Arthur  Hill served in the Royal Artillery before WW1. Brother William served in the Royal Navy in WW1. Son Leslie Charles Hill served in WW2 as a Flt. Lieut RAF and was awarded the DFC he subsequently served with the RAF for 30 years. It is likely that other sons Arthur and Leonard served in WW2 but haven’t found records yet.

Spouse comments: Fanny Blincoe *[4423] born 6.12.1893 Long Crendon died Sep q 1976 Hendon

Children: Doris M 1919, Arthur S 1920 Leslie Charles 1922, Leonard W 1926

1911 CENSUS

Living with family at 330 The Broadway, Hendon. Occupation barman.

Arthur Hill Head Married Male 46 1865 Gas stoker md ry Southall Green Middlesex
Eliza Sarah Hill Wife Married Female 43 1868 – Hendon Middlesex
Eliza Mary Coleman Daughter Married Female 23 1888 – Hendon Middlesex
Arthur Charles Hill Son Single Male 21 1890 Barman Hendon Middlesex
Frederick Hill Son Single Male 17 1894 Factory hand Hendon Middlesex
Amy Elizabeth Hill Daughter Single Female 16 1895 Lady’s help Hendon Middlesex
William John Hill Son Single Male 13 1898 School Hendon Middlesex
Annie Hill Daughter – Female 6 1905 School Hendon Middlesex
Harry Coleman Son-in-law Married Male 25 1886 Piano tuner Ealing Middlesex
Gladys S Coleman Daughter – Female 0 1911 – Ealing Middlesex

Grenadier Guards	3rd Machine Gun Company Guards Division

WW1

Hill Arthur Charles, 1890, 24062, Guardsman, 3rd Grenadier Guards, 3rd Machine Gun Company Guards Division.

1915

The Medal Card and the Silver War badge records indicate the 3rd battalion GG. This allows us to expand on the battalion’s history in the war but in regard to detail experience of Arthur we have little detail of home leave, wounds and illness but for the Silver War badge record at his discharge.

• 7 Jun. The SWB shows he enlisted with the 3rd Grenadier Guards battalion. The 3rd GG while relatively newly formed was immediately sent to France having disembarked at Le Havre on 27 July 1915. In August 1915 the 3rd GG joined the 2nd Bde, of the newly formed Guards Division.
• 29 Jul. The Battalion crossed over via Southampton to Havre in the steamboat Queen Alexandra, accompanied by a destroyer, It proceeded by train to Wizernes, where it detrained, and marched into billets at ESQUERDES. The 3rd GG spent the next month or so training based at ESQUERDES.
• Sept. The war diary is missing for this month but sometime before the 27th Sept. The Bn. would have made the 70km journey east to The Lille sector for the upcoming battle.
• 27-30 Sept. The Battle of Loos.

  

  Probably Arthur’s first action, as it was the first for the 3rd GG and it was a devastating first brush with combat for the battalion.

• Detail of the attack at Loos27th September“Starting their advance from Vermelles at 1500 hours the Brigade began to take casualties as it approached Loos village. Going through Loos the 4th Bn Grenadier Guards came under gas shelling and in the confusion split into two with half heading off with the Scots Guards attacking Puits 14 Bis and the other half (though by now reduced to a single Company’s strength) forming up as had been intended to assault Hill 70. Realising the folly of such a situation Brigadier General Heyworth ordered the 1st Bn Welsh Guards to join the Grenadiers.

  The Welsh Guards was raised on 26th February 1915 by order of King George V, to complete the national complement of regiments of Foot Guards identified with the countries of the United Kingdom. Loos would be their baptism of fire.

  The initial rush of Hill 70 at 1800 hours — by which time the 2nd Guards Brigade had already begun falling back — went well with the attackers covered by the dead ground at the base of the hill. Approaching the top, however, the  guardsmen immediately ran into scything machine gun fire. The barbed wire protecting the redoubt was tantalisingly close but any attempt to close in on it was considered to be out of the question.

  At 2300 hours the advanced position was joined by the 2nd Bn Scots Guards whose commander, Lt Colonel Cator ordered a 100-metre withdrawal to a position that could be defended in daylight.^6″

• 27 Sept.” The 3rd GG was still in the line of trenches in front of Le Rutoire farm, with its right on the Loos Redoubt. In front of it was
  the 1st Scots Guards, with its right on the village of Loos. The 2nd Irish Guards was on the left of the Scots Guards, with the 1st CG  in support.”……’The two 3rd G G companies …pushed on under terrific shell-fire and came up with the Scots Guards just outside Puits 14, stubbornly defended by the Germans. Regardless of the machine-guns which were mowing down our men, the Scots Guards and two companies of Grenadiers pressed on and endeavoured to reach Puits 14, but very few of the Scots Guards and not more than a dozen Grenadiers … got into the Puits, where they
  threw bombs into a house occupied by the enemy”.⁴ “At 2300 hours the advanced position was joined by the 2nd Bn Scots Guards whose commander, ….ordered a 100-metre withdrawal to a position that could be defended in daylight”.⁵
• Casualties for the period 44 men killed as per CWGC.
• Mar. The 3rd GG was sent to Calais for further training and returned to the Divisional reserve at Poperinghe on the 20 March.
• 26-Mar. “Entrained at POPERINGHE station and detrained at ASYLUM YPRES. Marched by companies through YPRES into support”.^{3 Insert map}
• 29-30 Mar.” On 29th No 1 Company had three casualties in the day and a similar number on the night of 29/30th”.³ 
  Diary Comment: It will be seen from above that it is difficult to keep the men fit during 16 days “in the line” and that it is impossible to drill them. Sickness showed a slight increase after 10 days of this period. on the afternoon the battalion was to relieve the Scots Gds. and came under fire.casualties-6 O.R. killed 15 wounded.
• Apr-May. Wieltje. north-west Ypres.
  

  

  

  April and May periods, in and out of the line-trenches . Trenches in a bad state water etc., were billeted at Poperinghe when out of the line. Casualties 20 killed for April from CWGC, 13 wounded from the diary.
  Note that the casualties from the CWGC are substantially greater than those reported in the diary suggesting that the wounded would have been much greater.

• Jun.”Marched into VOLKERINGHOVE”.³
• 19/20  Jun. “On the night 19/20th we relieved 1st Bn Scots Gds as follows 2 companies in the front line in SANCTUARY WOOD as far as VIGO ST on right and just N of GOUROCK road on left 1 company just N of MAPLE COPSE 1 company in ZILLEBEKE SWITCH by just E of ZILLEBEKE village”.³
• 20 Jun. SANCTUARY WOOD heavily shelled casualties 2 killed 2 died of wounds and 3 or wounded.
• 29/30 Jun. “On ??? day shell fired in ???? enfilade killed 5 and wounded 3 men working on a P?????. 4 other men were slightly wounded on working parties. 5 O.R. killed
  7 O.R. wounded”.³
• 1-3 Jul. “On the night of 30 June / 1st, July relieved the 1st Bn Scots Guards in the left sub-sector”.³ Casualties for the period 7 OR killed 7 wounded.
• 7-11 Jul. ‘Relieved 1st Bn SCOTS GDS in the trenches”.³Casualties for the period 3 OR’s killed 7 wounded.
• 25 Jul. “On 25th Bn entrained on the light railway and went into billets in VOLKERINGHOVE area”.³
• 29 – 30 Jul.” Entrained at ESQUELBECQ, having marched there, at midnight. Detrained at PETIT HOUVIN and marched into billets at LE SOUICH. It was a very hot day and the men were considerably exhausted towards the end of the march (11 ½ miles”.³
• 1 Aug. The 3rd GG was moved to the Beaumont Hamel in the Lens Sector.
• 13-15 Aug. Battalion relieved 1st Bn. Scots Guards in the trenches west of Beaumont Hamel. Casualties in the relief 8 OR’s wounded
• 16-17 Aug. ‘Moved into billets previously occupied by the Battalion in BETRANCOURT. 17 Aug. Moved into camp at SAILLY-AU-BOIS. In support of 1st Bn Scots Guards. The Battalion was rather tightly packed in two fields. About 12 noon enemy opened fire on the town with field guns..”.³ Casualties 2 killed.
• 24 Aug. “Moved into billets at NAOURS as a brigade. This was a march of about 12 miles. Fine but hot. Men very fresh at the end of march.
• 25 Aug.” …. Bn marched at 2 p.m. to CANAPLES where it entrained at 4.45 p.m. Detrained at MERICOURT at 9.45 p.m. and marched into billets at MORLANCOURT. Billets filthy and flies very bad”.³
• 15-16 Sept. The Battle of Flers Courcelette.
  

  

  • 15 Sept. At zero hour the tanks designated for the division failed to appear. The right flank of the battalion was very exposed. “After reaching the first objective – the German line running through T.8.a.b.2.d it was found that there was a gap between the left parties and the right which was occupied by the enemy who began to enfilade the trench with M.G.s and shell fire. Composite bombing parties, however, dislodged them and the whole first objective was in our hands. Our right flank was however completely exposed as the troops on our right were only a short distance, if any, in front of GINCHY TELEGRAPH.”.³ Casualties from the diary
    Officers Killed or Died  of Wounds 4 Wounded 10
    Missing 4. O.R. Killed 31, Wounded 155 and Missing 209. Note that CWGC records 26 deaths for this period.
  • 16 Sept. “Nothing occurred except some somewhat severe shelling on the 16th and the evening of 16th/17th the Bn was relieved and marched into camp at the CITADEL”.³
• 28-30 Sept. The Battle of Morval.“Took over from 1st Bn Scots Guards just N of LES BOEUFS. Relieved on the 30th by the 7th Bn MIDDLESEX REGT “.³ Casualties 13 men wounded.
• 4-10 Oct. Hohenzollern.
  • In the front line resting on the Hohenzollern redoubt.
  • 8 Oct. “In the afternoon we were heavily attacked all along the line. The enemy bombers rushed our left flank and came bombing down the line….After the attack was over. (It was repulsed along the whole line with great loss to the enemy) two companies of the 1/Scots were sent to relieve our 2 forward companies”.³
  • 9 Oct.” Same position – heavy shelling but no further attack was made. Relieved at 7 pm and returned to VERMELLES”.³
• 12 Oct. “Whole Guards division relieved and went into billets near VAUDRICOURT. Bn. is a small village called DROUIN”.³
• 15-17 Oct.” On the 15 October marched back through VERMELLES to take up a line of Trenches opposite BIG WILLIE & HOHENZOLLERN REDOUBT. The relief took a very long time and the communication trenches were shelled”.³
  • 16 Oct.” Trenches heavily shelled from 7-8 a.m. by guns of medium calibre. Received orders to complete sap, join with Coldstream and bomb down BIG WILLIE to meet 2nd Bn Scots Guards. The attack to start at 5 a.m. 17th. Were unable to complete sap and were unable to attack in consequence. Casualties* 5 killed 12 W 1 Missing. approximately”.³ This would appear to be incorrect only 5 men of the Bn. killed in the entire month.
  • 17 Oct.” Very heavy and accurate shelling from 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. by guns of all sizes…… The Battalion was relieved by 1st Bn Scots Guards and went into rest Trenches behind VERMELLES railway.”³
  • Nov. 7 days spent at NORRENT-FONTES then marched to LA GORGUE.
  • 14-16 and 18-20 Nov. Took up a line from just N of NEUVE CHAPELLE. The situation was very quiet but the trenches absolutely waterlogged. ended the month in LAVENTIE.”³
  • 24th Nov. Arthur is transferred to the 3rd Guards Machine Gun Company of the Guards Machine Gun Battalion.
  • Dec. It may well be that this was when Arthur was transferred home for training, in any event, it seems likely he didn’t return to France

1917

• Jan-Feb. When and where exactly Arthur’s sickness came on we do not know but in any event it’s clear he did not take up an active Machine Gunners role in the war.
• 1 Mar. An honourable discharge because of sickness and awarded the Silver War Badge No. 210779. Issued in July 1917.

SOURCES

1. Army Service Numbers 1881-1918
2. The Long Long Trail Guards Division
3. 3rd Grenadier Guards War Diary  Transcription
4. The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of
   1914-1918 by Lieut.-Col.The Right Hon. Sir Frederick Ponsonby.
5. http://www.thegrenadierguards.com/history
6. Web Matters

MEDALS

BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS AND THE SILVER WAR BADGE

AFTER THE WAR

 1919 MARRIAGE

To Fanny Blincoe sister Amy Hill married the same day.

1939 CENSUS

20 Goldsmith Avenue, Hendon

With Fanny and daughter’s family in Hendon occupation Foreman, Engaged In The Manufacturer Of Fine Chemicals.

Arthur C Hill 09 Mar 1890 Male Foreman Engaged In The Manufacturer Of Fine Chemicals Married
Fanny Hill 01 Dec 1892 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
Doris M Beattie (Hill) 05 Jul 1919 Female Estate Agent Secretary Single
Arthur S Beattie 10 Oct 1920 Male Instrument Maker- Electric Single
Leslie C Beattie 03 Jan 1922 Male Clerical Worker Employed By Single

 

DEATH 1967 GRO HENDON.

GALLERY