John was born in Malta on 8 February 1895. His father was Cutts Humphrey Hill (1862-1923) who was an officer in the Gloucestershire Regiment and served in East Indies, Australia, Malta, Egypt and India over 21 years from 1882 to 1903. His mother was Edith Gertrude Wilbraham Hill (nee Taylor) (1871 – 1926). In 1901, John was listed as living in West Bromwich with his mother and sister, and in 1911 was living in Weymouth, Dorset at a boarding school.

John was commissioned into the Royal Garrison Artillery on 16th October 1914 where according to a later newspaper article stated that he “served with the guns in France and Belgium and after the war with staff in Turkey. For services in France and Belgium he was mentioned in dispatches, won the Military Cross and Belgian War Cross.” John also served in the North West Frontier in India for which he was awarded an MBE for “distinguished service in the field with the Waziristan Force April 1921 to December 1921”.

I am not certain when John joined the 111th Field Regiment, he was however with the group when the sailed from Scotland to the Suez Canal via Durban in Summer 1942, and was present from the push through Egypt to Tunisia until 2nd April 1943 when he was promoted to Brigadier of CRA (Commander Royal Artillery) 50th Division.

After the war, John lived with his wife Catherine Mary “Bobby” Hill and passed away on 13 November 1975 in South Petherton, Somerset aged 80.