George Hill

George Urquhart Hill, (29 October 1918 – 12 November 1969) was a flying ace who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during the Second World War. The second Canadian to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times, he was credited with having shot down at least eighteen aircraft.

Born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Hill joined the RCAF in 1939. Once his training was completed, he served as an instructor for nearly two years before being sent to the United Kingdom to serve with a fighter squadron of the RCAF. His first aerial victories were achieved in August 1942 over Dieppe during Operation Jubilee. He later served in North Africa, leading No. 111 Squadron during the fighting in Tunisia and the Allied invasion of Sicily. After a period of leave in Canada, he returned to operations in early 1944 as commander of No. 441 Squadron. In April he crash landed in France and although he initially evaded the Germans, he was eventually captured and spent the rest of the war in captivity. He studied medicine after the war, and worked as a doctor for the rest of his life. Eventually settling in Orangeville, Ontario, he was killed in a car accident outside his home at the age of 51.

Early life George Urquhart Hill was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, on 29 October 1918. He went to school at Pictou, attending the academy there. A keen boxer, he was an intercollegiate champion as a featherweight. He subsequently went to Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Second World War On the outbreak of the Second World War, Hill joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Receiving a commission as a pilot officer, he underwent flight training and gained his wings in February 1940. He went on an instructors course and then took up a position as an instructor at No. 2 Service Flying Training School at Uplands. He subsequently served at Nos. 4 and 9 Service Flying Training Schools at Saskatoon and Summerside respectively. Flying from the latter, he reportedly carried out a low level flight over his home town of Pictou, for which he was disciplined. Hill preferred to serve in an operational posting, putting in numerous requests to his senior officers to this effect and in January 1942, he was sent to the United Kingdom. Within a matter of days, he was awarded a Bar to his DFC, this time reflecting his successes as commander of the squadron. The published citation read:

Sicily In June, with the fighting in North Africa at an end, No. 111 Squadron moved to the island of Malta, where it reequipped with Spitfire Mk IXs. Operating from Safi as part of the Safi Wing, alongside Nos 126 and 1435 Squadrons, it subsequently started carrying out sorties to Sicily in anticipation of the Allied invasion of that island. With his squadron acting as escort to several fighter-bombers attacking Biscari Airfield, Hill shot down a Bf 109 near Acate on 3 July. A week later he destroyed an Italian Macchi C.200 fighter near Syracuse. With the Allied invasion of Sicily underway, he destroyed two aircraft on 13 July, the first a Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber intercepted while patrolling over the landing beaches in the morning and then a Fw 190 later in the day. Later in the month, with a beach head now established in Sicily after the Allied landings, the squadron began operating from Comiso. In August, Hill was posted to the headquarters of Fighter Command in the Middle East.

Still badly fatigued by his operational service, Hill then spent a period of time in Canada on leave, during which time a further award of a Bar to his DFC was announced. He was the second serving member of the RCAF to have been awarded the DFC three times. He was well received in his home town of Pictou, where he was feted and presented with a watch and also made public speeches in aid of the war effort. While in Canada he married Thelma Sanson, who he had met during his studies at Mount Allison University.