Captain Edward Frank HILL (40759)
D Company, 7th Battalion Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)

Date of birth: 9th November 1909
Date of death: 20th May 1940

Killed in action aged 30
Buried at Albert Communal Cemetery Extension Plot 1 Row R Grave 7
He was born at Bromley in Kent on the 9th of November 1909 the third son of Harold Babington Hill, Lloyd's underwriter, and Ethel (nee Dixon) Hill of "Cranbourne", 13 Cherry Orchard Road, Bromley Common and of 30 Ovington Court, Brompton Road in London.

He was educated at the Junior King’s School from January 1921 and at the King’s School Canterbury from September 1923 to April 1928 winning his colours for fives in 1928. While at school he served in the Officer Training Corps as a Lance Corporal.

On leaving school he became an insurance underwriter at Lloyd’s of London and joined the Territorial Army. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 19th Battalion London Regiment on the 28th of November 1928. He later transferred to the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) and in August 1936 he joined the 7th Battalion where he was given command of D Company.

After training in England, the battalion embarked at Southampton on the 21st of April 1940 and crossed to Le Havre after nightfall. Once they arrived they moved to Le Manoir near Rouen where they were engaged in work on a railway siding. On the 9th of May they moved to Fleury where they were to carry out a fortnight of section and platoon training. The following day the Germans invaded France and by the 14th they had broken through French lines at Sedan. On the 15th of May the 7th Battalion moved to Quevauvilliers near Amiens and on the 17th they were ordered to move to Clery-sur-Somme to defend a crossing over the Canal du Nord. They arrived early on the 18th and came under attack from enemy aircraft during the day and towards evening the German spearhead arrived and was driven off leaving one tank on fire behind them. On the 19th of May 1940 the battalion was withdrawn to take up positions at Louvencourt to the north west of the town of Albert.

The following morning, they were ordered to move to Albert itself and prepare it for defence against tank attack. The battalion parked its transport under the trees in the town square and despite coming under air attack the companies were in position by 7am. Suddenly the Germans appeared in the form of tanks and lorried infantry and the main enemy attack fell against D Company. Casualties were heavy, with Edward Hill being killed early in the attack after which command of the Company passed to Lieutenant Phillips. By 7.30am the enemy were in the town square and began shelling and machine gunning the battalion transport there. The battalion became scattered as the number of enemy tanks proved to be overwhelming and, at 11am, the 250 survivors of the battalion were ordered to spilt into groups of 20 and make their way independently to join the rest of their Brigade at Doullens, some fifteen miles away. In the event, only around seventy men made it to Doullens as most of the groups were captured en route, including that of the Commanding Officer Colonel Clay.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Lloyd’s of London.

 

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