Alan Richard Hill VC (born

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increa ...

12 July 1859 – 21 April 1944) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Commonwealth forces. He won the VC for his actions on 28 January 1881 at the

Battle of Laing's Nek The Battle of Laing's Nek was a major battle fought at Laing's Nek during the First Boer War on 28 January 1881. Background Following the Boer declaration of independence for the Transvaal in 1880 the British suffered a series of disastrous def ...

during the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

. After his marriage, he adopted the surname Hill-Walker.

Early life

Alan Richard Hill was the son of Captain Thomas Hill, chief constable of the

North Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary The North Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary was the territorial police force for the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1856 to 1968. Formed in 1856 as a result of the County and Borough Police Act 1856 it covered all of the North Riding except for ...

and Frances Mirriam, daughter of Thomas Walker. He was educated at Richmond Grammar School. Hill was commissioned in July 1876 as a sub-lieutenant in the North Yorkshire Militia. He transferred to the

58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. Histo ...

in February 1879. The regiment was deployed to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in 1879 for service in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

and he saw action at the Battle of Ulundi in July 1879.

Details

Hill was 21 years old, and a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

(which had become the 2nd Battalion, The

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

under the Childers Reforms by the time the award was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

when the following deed took place on 28 January 1881 at the

, for which he was awarded the VC. The citation reads; "For gallant conduct at the action of Laing's Nek on the 28th January, 1881, in having, after the retreat was ordered, remained behind and endeavoured to carry out of action Lieutenant Baillie, of the same Corps, who was lying on the ground severely wounded. Being unable to lift that officer into the saddle, he carried him in his arms until Lieutenant Baillie was shot dead. Lieutenant Hill then brought a wounded man out of action on his horse, after which he returned and rescued another. All these acts being performed under a heavy fire." Laing's Nek was the last occasion that a British regiment carried its

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

into action. The 58th were led up the hillside by Lieutenant Lancelot Baillie carrying the Regimental Colour and Hill carrying the Queen's Colour. Baillie was mortally wounded. Hill passed the two colours to Sergeant Budstock for safe keeping.

Further information

He was adjutant of the 3rd and 4th battalions from October 1887 and achieved the rank of major before he retired from the army in October 1901. In April 1902 he married, in London, Muriel Lilias Oliphant Walker, daughter of T. S. Walker, of

Maunby Maunby is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, about six miles south of Northallerton and on the River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, whi ...

Hall,

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. He changed his name to Hill-Walker. A son Lieut-Commander Thomas Harry Hill-Walker was killed in action in 1940. Hill's medals were bought in 2015 by the Ashcroft Trust and are displayed in the Imperial War Museum.

References

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...

(David Harvey, 1999) *

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...

(This England, 1997) *

Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War The Victoria Cross (VC) is a British military honour awarded to 78 members of the British Armed Forces for action during the Second Boer War. The Victoria Cross is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to me ...

(Ian Uys, 2000)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(North Yorkshire)'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Alan Richard 1859 births 1944 deaths British recipients of the Victoria Cross First Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross Northamptonshire Regiment officers People from Northallerton British military personnel of the First Boer War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War 58th Regiment of Foot officers British Militia officers British military personnel of the Tirah campaign British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Yorkshire

Early life

Details

Further information

See also

References

External links