Date of birth: 12/10/1879

Place of birth: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom

Profession: Baker

Country: England, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 28751

Enlistment date: 28/10/1915

Enlistment place: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom

Units:  —  Royal Warwickshre Regiment 11th Battalion  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 25/07/1917

Place of death: Beek Farm, Wieltje, Belgium

Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.)

Age: 37

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Private John Hillier was part of the 11th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (112th Brigade, 37th Division). The 11th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment was holding the line near Oosttaverne-Houthem during 19 to 25 July 1917. During this time they were shelled various times by German artillery. The 10th Battalion Royal North Lancashire Regiment had carried out a raid on the 23th July on Rifle Farm. They were subjected to shell fire and machine gun fire. They suspected that a machine gun was situated at Beek Farm. On the night of 24 on 25 July, a patrol of the 11th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment was sent out to reconnoitre Beek Farm and Beek Wood and obtain information about German work in this neighbourhood.

Private Hillier was one of 16 soldiers of the battalion to have died (killed in action or died of wounds). After the war his body was never found nor identified. He is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres.

Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Sources used

CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1614164/hillier,-john/ Sources used

Naval and Military Archive http://www.nmarchive.com/ Sources used

The Long Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-warwickshire-regiment/ Sources used