Cedric Waters Hill (3 April 1891 – 5 March 1975) was an Australian officer in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and later the Royal Air Force who, together with E. H. Jones, escaped from the Yozgat

prisoner of war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

in Turkey during the First World War. Their epic story was told in Jones' book ''The Road to En-dor'' and in his own book ''The Spook and the Commandant''. Between February 1917 and October 1918, Jones and Hill convinced their Turkish captors that they were mediums adept at the Ouija board. Taking advantage of the greed of the Turkish camp Commandant, with promises of buried treasure via the Ouija board, the two men managed to engineer the circumstances of their imprisonment to favour their escape. Eventually they convinced their gaolers to repatriate them by feigning insanity, arriving home only a few months before the Armistice. Hill continued his career in the RAF after the war. Granted a short service commission as a flying officer on 6 December 1920, he was promoted

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

in January 1923 and appointed to a permanent commission six months later. He was advanced to squadron leader in 1931. Hill commanded No. 1 Squadron from October 1934 to January 1936 and again from December that year until April 1937. That same month, he was promoted to wing commander and appointed to command RAF Tangmere. He was made an acting

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

from 1 June 1940, during the Second World War, and retired from the RAF in 1944. Hill then worked as a ferry pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary. On 5 March 1975, Hill died at his home in Windsor, Berkshire. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

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''The road to En-dor''
at the Internet Archive 1891 births 1975 deaths World War I prisoners of war held by the Ottoman Empire British Army personnel of World War I Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I prisoners of war British escapees Escapees from Turkish detention British World War I pilots Royal Air Force officers Air Transport Auxiliary pilots {{RAF-bio-stub

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