by Anne Hayes - Hills Group

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Kingshill Home Guard c1941.Mervyn Hill is fourth from left, front rowPhoto: D. Bedford/Swindon SocietySwindon ARP men with a display ofhousehold air raid shelters c1942.The shelter was erected by E Hill & SonsPhoto: A. Beaney/Swindon SocietyTHE war years in Swindon are broughtvividly alive through the diaries of GrahameHill, Edward’s son, for many years managingdirector and chairman of Hills.As in 1914-18, the conflict ushered in a period offrenetic activity for the partnership, as it thenwas, consisting of Edward and three of his sons –E Hill & Sons – based at Kingshill.The family was at the heart of wartime activitiesin Swindon and the surrounding area. Owning asthey did a large number of lorries which wererequisitioned by the Army, the family business alsoreceived a liberal petrol allowance for essentialactivities such as hauling gravel and timber fornew aerodromes, excavating foundations forwartime factories and supplying air raid shelters.The brothers set up the Kingshill Home Guardwhich most of the employees joined and whichoccupied much of the time of Grahame andThe Kingshill or Hills Home Guardshow off a new gun at the tenniscourts at Okus8How the Swindon Evening Advertisertold the Spitfire story on its front pageon September 6 1940Photo: D. Bedford/Swindon Society
The Hill family in 1943 with four members in uniform.Back row, fifth from left, Mervyn Hill; back row, far right,Victor Hill; second row left, Grahame Hill in Home Guarduniform and second from right, Harold HillExtract from Grahame Hill’s diary for September 3 1940 –the declaration of war. Grahame kept his diary throughouthis life until his death in 1977Mervyn – Harold was on active service with theArmy in Europe. Their patriotism led to thedonation of a £1,000 cheque from the companyto the Swindon Spitfire Fund in September 1940.During this time, gravel digging andprospecting began in earnest at Newburyand both Harry Boulton and Stan Goss,two memorable names in Hills lore,joined the company. Another employee,Peter Carver, was reported shot downoff Tunisia, but survived toreturn to Kingshill after the war.Most aspects of living underwartime conditions are revealedin the diaries – the air raids,Churchill’s speeches, the shortageof sweets, of silk stockings.Mervyn was kept busy helpingthe company to make do andmend and keep costs down byextending the working life ofvehicles and machinery.The business acquired BartonCourt at Kintbury, nearNewbury, later to become veryimportant for Hills during thewar. There is a diary note forD-Day June 6, 1944, in whichGrahame says he and a friendwere inspecting the roof of thenew property when they sawglider planes leaving from local aerodromes for France.In May 1945, a party to celebrate the end of the warwas held in Hills field at Okus, Swindon.Beverley Hill as a schoolboy helpingwith earthmoving on a USAAFtractor at Hills site at Lower Way,Thatcham, Newbury, 1945The cheque which the Hill family sent to the SwindonSpitfire fund in 19409
Page 1: 1900- 2000by Anne Hayes
Page 5 and 6: ased in Marlborough. From making br
Page 7: Purton Brickworks, run for many yea
Page 11 and 12: A Drott excavator being lowered int
Page 13 and 14: Harold’s son, Tony, who joined th
Page 15 and 16: Using the dry digging method,a trac
Page 17 and 18: A brick library was built there in
Page 19 and 20: Compactor on Volvo F6 skipvehicle,
Page 21 and 22: High standards ofhousekeeping arema
Page 23 and 24: Traditional methods such asreed bed

by Anne Hayes - Hills Group

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?