Pte. William Earnest Hill
758034
Born: Nov 2, 1886 in Hamilton ON
Lived in Hamilton, ON
Killed in Action at Vimy Ridge April 9, 1917
Buried at Bois Carre British Cemetery
Private Hill was a working-class lad from a hardscrabble working-class neighbourhood in Hamilton, ON. He worked as a loom fixer in the Hamilton textile industry which like many other jobs in the region required both toughness and skill. In 1915, like many of his mates, William signed up with the 120th City of Hamilton Regiment. The 120th operated as the 3rd Division of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry- Wentworth Regiment...a regiment whose legacy stemmed back to the War of 1812.
The story of William Hill’s service, experienced and ultimate death, unfortunately, is rather short…both in time and is rather dearth of notable incidents. He arrived in France on March 17, 1917, joined the battalion 5 days later and was killed a little over two weeks later. This is barely enough time to get to know your battalion or the men you expect to share a carved-out cubby in the mud with. Yet, on the first day of the battle of Vimy Ridge Private William Earnest Hill’s life ended.
As history recalls the weather was terrible of the morning of the attack. A virtual spring blizzard descended upon the men as they prepared to hop the bags and follow the creeping waves of shell file and knock the Germans off their perch. Private Hill, along with the men of the 116th were not assigned to the first waves of attacking troops. Rather, they were assigned to support and assist once the first waves successfully gained ground.
The Battalion Diary records that on that day, the majority of the men were assigned to carrying parties. Their job was to help deliver material and supplies to the men holding the line at the front. Other men were assigned to wiring parties. They helped establish communication between the front and the officers in the rear. If one could recreate the situation on that day, in successive waves the Canadians pushed back the Germans from their forward positions. It was a very successful morning. For the previous three years, a gain of 100 meters would be called a significant achievement. That morning the Canadians pushed the Germans back off the ridge and gained almost 7 km in territory. Thus, to consolidate their gains and cement their position, they would need to quickly establish footholds in the fields of battle. Private Hill’s job was to put down his gun and pick up his shovel. The 116th needed to build a trench that established a line of communication back to the rear.
To tragic effect, while the Canadians did push the Germans back off the ridge, they did not break them. The enemy still retained their guns and as they sought to reconsolidate their position they deployed them to dreadful effect. William, shovel in hand and standing in a spot known as ‘Bois de la Chaudiere’, was hit by a heavy barrage of 4.1 shells. He did not survive and his remains are interred at the Bois-Carre British Cemetery.
Lest we forget.