William Hill
Date of birth: 1920
Date of death: 28.10.1942
Area: Crofton
Regiment: Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons, Royal Armoured Corps
Family information: Son of John and May Hill of Crofton
Rank: Corporal
Service number: 4975364
William was the son of John and Mary Hill. He was born in Normanton in 1920, the fourth surviving child of the family. The first two children died in infancy and there remained five brothers and six sisters, including William. The family moved to Ings Cottages, Crofton. William was of medium height, with very fair hair and was usually known as “Bill”.
He joined the 1st Sherwood Foresters when he was under age, but after they suffered very heavy casualties the survivors, including Bill, were transferred to The Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons, Royal Armoured Corps. A photograph exists which shows him wearing a Good Conduct Stripe and a Marksmans Badge. His sister is not sure when his transfer took place but she remembers that Bill served for a time in Jamaica and that he sent home presents for the family.
Annie still has the six little silk handkerchiefs he sent, one for each sister. She also has two oval iridescent pictures of Rio de Janeiro by moonlight, which Bill sent for his Mother.
Bill had been promoted to Corporal by the time he died on 28th October 1942. There is no record of a burial place, but Bill’s name appears on the El Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
Alamein Memorial
