Date of birth:

1915 (India)

Date of death:

September 18th, 1940 (France)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Graves Luc-sur-Mer
Grave: 1.

Service number:

33201

Nationality:

British

James was the son of Reverend Cecil Hill, a chaplain, and grew up with his twin brother, Thomas in India. In 1923 the family moved to Britain, where James was educated and quickly distinguished himself both academically and athletically. He excelled at rugby, playing for the RAF team and later for Nottingham.

When war broke out, Hill was a student at RAF Cranwell and subsequently joined the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. In 1940 he took part in one of the most daring and dangerous missions of the early air campaign: the attack on the Dortmund–Ems Canal in Germany. This waterway was a vital artery for German military and industrial transport, and its destruction was considered a high priority. The raid involved aircraft from Nos. 83 and 43 Squadrons, which flew at extremely low altitude—around 150 feet—to strike the aqueduct and lock near Münster. The mission was perilous, with many aircraft damaged by enemy fire, but it demonstrated the bravery and resolve of the crews who undertook it.

For his role in these operations, Hill was recognized for bravery. Yet James’s career was tragically short. On 18 September 1940, during the height of the Battle of Britain and the RAF’s desperate struggle against the Luftwaffe, he was shot down and killed at the age of just twenty‑five. He was laid to rest in the churchyard at Luc‑sur‑Mer in Normandy, France.

His twin brother, Thomas, also served in the Royal Air Force but survived the war, living until 1982.

Pilot Officer (Prob.)
31 January 1939: Flying Officer

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• Photo 1: pd
• - The London Gazette 9-7-1940
  - The London Gazette 21-2-1939
  - The London Gazette 27-8-1940
  - The London Gazette 1-1-1941
  - AIR 81/3343
  - AIR 27/686/18
  - AIR 27/686/17
  - World War II – Roll of Honour

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