HILL, Norman John
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Surrey Hills, New South Wales, 20 February 1891 |
| Home Town: | Chatswood, Willoughby, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Blackheath Memorial Arch |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 31st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1916: | Embarked 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Melbourne | |
| 19 Feb 1916: | Involvement 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 16 May 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, Transferred from the 31st Infantry Battalion to the 29th Battalion on 16th May 1917 | |
| 26 May 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Imprisoned Polygon Wood, Released from captivity from POW camp Kurksruhe Germany on 10th December 1918. | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, Polygon Wood, Missing in action on 26th September 1917 | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Polygon Wood, Wounded in action (Gunshot wound to left eye) during the battle of Polygon Wood | |
| 2 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Returned to Australia per H.T. 'Dunluce Castle' 16th March 1919 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Lakey
During the battle of Polygon Wood on 26th September 1917 Lieutenant Norman Hill was captured by the enemy.
The 8th Light Trench Mortar battery was to support the 31st Battalion's attack, and amongst the battery's officers was Lieutenant Norman Hill, on attachment from the 29th Battalion. Colonel Toll had informed Hill that he was to go over with the third wave and protect the right flank of the 31st Battalion, and Hill described the events that led to his capture by the Germans;
"I could not find out from him (Colonel Toll) or Colonel Purser if any Stokes ammunition was dumped handy. When the right half of 31st made a right wheel following the slope of the hill, the movement left a gap 200 yards wide in the attacking waves". Hill then ordered 18 of his men to fill in the gap and act as infantry while he sent a message back to Colonel Toll. After 3/4 of an hour his men were out of ammunition and Hill's revolver ammunition was gone. "A Bombing party came straight at us and gave us a shower of stick bombs - taken prisoner - my left eye was shot out shortly after arriving at first objective, and I felt considerably numbed in head, although my brain was quite clear".
Footnote: After his capture, Lieutenant Hill was taken to a German hospital at Courtrai and his injured eye was removed. He then went on to prison camps at Munster and Kurksruhe.
Extract from the book 'Black and Gold The History of the 29th Battalion, 1915-18' by Ronald Austin (Pages 87 and 92)