James Henry Hill (Athletics, 1915).
James Henry Hill served in both World Wars. He was born on 11 September 1896, the son of Henry Joseph Hill and Barbara Jessie nee Inglis and first attended Colac High School before furthering his education at Geelong College. He lived at Cororooke near Colac. He was enrolled on 14 February 1914 as a day student becoming a member of the 1st Football XVIII in 1915 and the Athletics Team that same year. He left School at the end of 1915.
Before the First World War he was employed as a bank clerk. He was known as 'Clem' to his friends. He was initially rejected for military service due to synovitis but was accepted for enlistment in the AIF (3155) on 13 December 1917 in the Australian Flying Corps as a second class air mechanic. He embarked for France on SS Ormonde on 7 March 1918. He was granted leave from March to July 1919, first related to Stock Breeding and then to complete a Commercial course. After the war in 1919-1921 he was sent as a Staff Sergeant to AIF Headquarters in France and Belgium attached to the Australian Graves Services. His World War I attestation record suggests that he was in the Melbourne University Regiment (MUR) in 1915-1916.
Pegasus Magazine of August 1921 reported:
‘James H Hill has just been demobilised after reaching London from Belgium in July, and when writing expected to sail by the Demosthenes. He had seen many graves of Old Public School Boys, including Old Collegians.’ He returned to service in World War II joining the Australian Army Service Corps and becoming a Major by the time of his discharge on 22 July 1942. He was awarded the Australian Efficiency Medal. He died on 23 September 1974 at Anglesea.
Sources: Affleck, James (comp). Geelong Collegians at the Great War, p213; Affleck, James (comp). Geelong Collegians at the Second World War, p276.