Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Published Biography (see document)
Courtesy - Kalangadoo Remembers

Additional Biography

Early Life

Percival John Hill was born on 8th April 1899. He was the son of James Bennett Hill and Sarah Lydia Underwood (SA Birth Registration - Grey 638/460). His father was the owner of a boot shop business and a well-known local preacher.

Schooling

Percy’s early education was completed in Kalangadoo (31 kms north of Mt Gambier in the South East of South Australia). In 1911 he was awarded an exhibition (scholarship). In 1913, Percy was attending the Naracoorte District High School where he passed his Junior Public Exams. In 1914 Percy was admitted to Adelaide High School as a Junior Teacher (appointed to Naracoorte) and in December he passed his Senior Public Examinations.

In December 1915 Percival passed two subjects (Algebra and Trigonometry & Geometry and Trigonometry) in the Higher Public Examinations. In 1916 Percy passed School of Arts’ exams and his Higher Public Examinations (Applied Mathematics and Physics). He was a Senior Cadet and served for a year in the Citizen’s Forces. Percival was an Oarsman and was Bow for the AHS in the Public Schools Fours at the December 1915 Summer Regatta. It is likely that he also rowed for the AHS in 1916 but the team members were not named in newspaper articles.

He played 1st Football in 1915 and 1916.

Teaching Career

In 1917 Percival was teaching at Naracoorte School and the local paper reported the “Mr. P. J. Hill and Misses M. M. Hunt and M. C. Jackson have been working earnestly amongst us as junior teachers. They enter the Training College to complete their course next year.”

University Sport

While at Training College, Percy played Football for the Adelaide University Football Club in the B Grade in 1918. His last game was played three days before embarking for WWI.

World War I

Percy enlisted in the 43rd Battalion on the 24th May 1918, aged 19 years 1 month and embarked on the 6th August 1918 from Adelaide, South Australia, on board SS Gaika. At enlistment he was described as 5’9”, 149 lbs., with a fair complexion, grey eyes and fair hair.

Percy arrived in London on 13th October 1918 and was still in training when hostilities ceased. Percy returned to Australian via the Kildonian Castle on 21st March 1919.

Post World War I

On returning to Adelaide Percy resumed his studies and passed Adelaide University Exams in November 1919. He was appointed an acting assistant at the Observation School, Currie Street, Adelaide in June 1919. We have not found any evidence that Percy continued as a teacher after 1919.

Percy arrived in India in 1926 to be a missionary with the church with no name. Percy was in Calcutta, India in 1932 and was unable to attend his parent’s Golden Wedding anniversary. Percy was also unable to attend his parent’s Diamond Wedding anniversary, ten years later in January 1942, as he was a missionary in Calcutta, India. When his father died later in 1942, Percy was still living in Calcutta, India, and he was described as “Rev. Percy J. Hill.”

Percy arrived in Fremantle on 15 August 1947, aboard the ss Manoora. He had embarked in Bombay and was disembarking in Adelaide. His address at his destination was 3 Gawler Terrace, Walkerville SA.
When his Mother died in 1949 Percy was living in Bombay, India. He took on the oversight for the church in the north of India, in the 1950’s. Percy left India for the last time in 1974

Death

Percy died on 29 March 1977, aged 77 years, and is buried at Enfield Memorial Park, SA. He had been living at Lockleys.

Author EE (Beth) Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.

Private Percival John Hill was born in Mount Gambier on the 8th April 1899. He was one of six children of Bennett James Hill and Sarah Lydia Hill.

Percival Hill’s parents lived in Mount Gambier where they operated “Hill Bros Tannery” and later the Mount Gambier Tannery. Percival’s father was also a lay preacher for the Mount Gambier Baptist Church.

The family moved to Kalangadoo approximately 1907 where Percival’s father ran the Tannery and Boot shop which was located in the main street.

The Kalangadoo Methodist Church had staunch supporters in the Hill family, all doing their best to further the interests of the Church. This was apparent throughout Percivals life.

Percival attended the Kalangadoo Public School from 1908 until 1911.

Edgar and James (known as Lloyd),Percival’s brothers paid for him to go to Naracoorte High School. Upon completion of high school he won a bursary scholarship of sixty pounds which enabled him to move to Adelaide to pursue his teaching qualifications.

He was a keen rower and was part of the Adelaide High School Rowing Club. Percival also had a love for music which was a big part of his life.

Percival returned to Naracoorte as a Junior Teacher in 1914 prior to joining the Adelaide Teachers Unit in 1918.

On the 24th May 1918 Percival John Hill enlisted in Mount Gambier as a Private with the 4th General Reinforcements. The unit embarked from Adelaide aboard the SS Gaika on the 6th August 1918.

Entries in Private Hill’s diaries stated that he lost his kit bag for the first week. They had cold showers every morning which were refreshing with the fresh water cut off at 10am. The cook house was the ‘unhealthiest place’, where they had six meals a day, three down and three up.

The unit held church services every day. Private Hill commented on the spirit of comradeship whilst on the ship. It worried him that it only had twelve life boats to cater for its passengers if anything happened. He frequently commented about his concerns for the others on board, and formed Bible circles.

His diaries also mentioned that the battalion had lectures every day as the boat got closer to England. One lecture explaining submarine warfare, and how a lighted match can be seen three miles away, a cigarette one mile away, whilst a porthole light could be seen at eight miles.

Private Hill disembarked in London on the 13th October 1918 and transferred to the 43rd Battalion, They marched from Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol and billeted to Fovant under the 9th Training Battalion.

Whilst waiting to go to France the unit continued their training, doing a lot of marching and fixing up huts for the soldiers coming back from France.

Much to Private Hill’s disappointment (going by his diary entries) Percival did not go on to fight in France due to the cessation of hostilities.

He returned to Australia per the Kildonian Castle on the 21st March 1919, disembarking at Adelaide on the 4th May 1919 and being discharged on the 7th May 1919.

His total service was 363 days with 275 days served abroad.

Private Hill was awarded the following war medal

The British War Medal

Percival Hill returned to university after the war, where he became involved with the group Cooni-ites. He left University to serve as a Missionary in India for approximately forty seven years.

Percival returned to Adelaide in 1976 after becoming ill.

Percival John Hill died on the 29th March 1977 and is interred at the Enfield Cemetery.