1914-1918 First World War Centenary

20 October 2018

Arthur Moberly Hill was born on 22 February 1895 to Katharine and William Hill of The White House, Polesworth, Warwickshire. In the 1901 census, his father is described as a mining engineer from Ireland.  

Arthur attended Malvern College from 1909-1911 and joined Harper Adams on 9 October 1911. He left the College in June 1913 before the end of the summer term to farm in Alberta, Canada. A single passenger, Arthur Hill, age 17, is listed on the passenger list for the ship the Royal Edward from Bristol to Halifax on 5 March 1913. He is described as a tourist with the intention of permanently settling in Canada.

Arthur had at least three brothers and two younger sisters (as listed on .  By the end of the war the family were living at "Sunnycroft", Tamworth, Staffordshire and had lost two other sons in the conflict: Harold Belfitt Hill (Royal Air Force) was killed in action 6 September 1918, age 22; William Reginald Hill died as a prisoner of war on 6 Nov 1918 age 22. The eldest brother, Laurence, had joined the Royal Navy prior to the First World War and survived the conflict.  

Arthur Moberly Hill served from 1915-17 with the North Somerset Yeomanry, attached to the 1 Bn. Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert’s).  

He died on 9 April 1917, age 22 and is remembered with honour at the Arras Memorial, Bay 1

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/783441/hill,-arthur-moberly/

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBM/WO374/0256448

https://nnwfhs.org.uk/component/easytablepro/wat-memorial-detailed-index?start=40

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=TNA/BT27/0785000008/01162

The Arras Memorial commemorates nearly 35,000 soldiers of the British, South African and New Zealand forces with no known grave. Most of those commemorated were killed in the Battle of Arras, fought between 9 April and 16 May 1917.

https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-cemeteries-and-memorials/82700/arras-memorial