The First World War
Officers of The Royal Canadian Regiment

Lt.-Col. Claude Hardinge Hill, D.S.O.

Soldiers of the First World War database entry - C.H. Hill

Lieut. C.H. Hill (1901)

Lieut. C.H. Hill, a subaltern of the 66th Regiment, Princess Louise Fusiliers. (1901)

Capt. C.H. Hill (1912)

Capt. C.H. Hill (1912)

Capt. C.H. Hill

Capt. C.H. Hill

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill
IWM photo

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O. (1919)

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O., Commanding Officer (1919)

Service:

D.S.O. Citation

SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 19 AUGUST, 1916

Lt.-Col. Claude Hardinge Hill, Can. Infy. - For conspicuous gallantry when in command of his battalion. He repelled several attacks and displayed great coolness and courage in directing bodies of men under heavy fire.

First World War Mentions in Despatches:

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O. (1920)

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O., Commanding Officer, regimental officers photo taken at Valcartier Camp (1920)

 Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O. (1923)

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O., Commanding Officer (1923). Note in this photo taken shortly after the First World War that Lt.-Col. Hill has not yet received all of his medals, and that an empty ribbon is being worn in lieu of his Victory Medal.

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O. (1924)

Lt.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.S.O., Commanding Officer (1924)

 Colonel C.H. Hill, D.S.O (1933)

Colonel C.H. Hill, D.S.O (1933)

Five Commanding Officers attend the 1933 reunion.

Five Commanding Officers attend the 1933 reunion at Wolseley Barracks, London, Ontario.

The Royal Canadian Regiment; Volume Two, 1933-1966

Colonel C. H. Hill, DSO

Colonel Hill was appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of The Regiment on November 13th 1939, following long and loyal service to The Regiment.

He was gazetted in 1901. He volunteered for service in South Africa but the war ended before he saw action. He was appointed temporary Adjutant in 1905 and in 1913 assumed command of K Company then stationed in London, Ontario. On the outbreak of the Great War, Colonel Hill was appointed second-in-command of the Regimental Depot and in November 1914 second-in-command of the 24th Battalion, Victoria Rifles of Canada. He returned to take command of The Regiment April 20th 1916 and except for short breaks when he assumed temporary command of 7 Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division Training School and as an instructor at the Senior Officers' School in Aldershot, he commanded The Regiment until the end of the war.

During the period of his command he was awarded the DSO for the bravery and tenacity displayed by the men of The Regiment in the Ypres Salient 1916 and for his inspiring leadership and devotion to duty throughout this trying period.

In 1919 he had the task of reconstructing and reorganizing The Regiment on peacetime lines. He continued in this position until he was promoted Colonel and appointed Director of Organization and Personal Services in October 1924. As AA&QMG, MD 2 from 1929, he retired from the service in February 1936 to live in England.

After the return of The Regiment to Canada following the Second War and its reorganizing in Brockville, Colonel Hill relinquished his appointment on April 19th 1946. Colonel Hill died early in 1960.

The Connecting File; Spring and Summer, 1954

Col C.H. Hill's address is identified as Cheltenham, Gloc.

Regimental Obituary Notice

Col Hill's death is noted in the April 1961, edition of The Connecting File:

Colonel Claude H. Hill, D.S.O.

At Cheltenham, England, in the spring of 1960, Colonel Hill first joined the Regiment as a subaltern in 1901. He served with the Canadian Mounted Rifles in South AFrica, and then returned to the Regiment in Nova Scotia. In 1913 he was promoted to Major and posted to London, Ontario, where he took over command of "K" Company. In 1914 he was transferred to the 24th Battalion, Victoria Rifles of Canada, and appointed second-in-command. He served with this unit in France until 1916 when he was given command of The Royal Canadian Regiment (C.E.F.). he was awarded the D.S.O. for his leadership during the fighting at Ypres in 1916. In 1917 he assumed temporary command of the 7th Infantry Brigade and, after a short stay there, he returned to command the Regiment for the second time. In 1918 he was appointed Commandant of the Canadian Corps School in England and held this appointment until he returned to Canada in 1919. He commanded the Regiment for the third time from 1919 to 1924 at which time he became Director of Organization and Personnel Services at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. On his retirement, he formed the Ottawa Branch of the RCR Old Comrades Association. He spent the last few years in England.

Date of birth - 30 Aug 1881