Site Home
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Great War Home
Search
Add Stories & Photos
Library
Help & FAQs
Features
Allied Army
Day by Day
RFC & RAF
Prisoners of War
War at Sea
Training for War
The Battles
Those Who Served
Hospitals
Civilian Service
Women at War
The War Effort
Central Powers Army
Central Powers Navy
Imperial Air Service
Library
World War Two
Submissions
Add Stories & Photos
Time Capsule
Information
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Our Facebook Page
Volunteering
News
Events
Contact us
Great War Books
About
213353Cpl. Joseph Hill DCM.
British Army 8th Battalion Royal Fusiliers
from:Birmingham
Corporal, later Serjeant, Joseph Hill enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers on 7th September 1914. Although the regimental history suggests that the 8th Battalion was first posted to France in May 1915, Joseph Hill's medal record indicates that he first saw action in France on March 6th 1915.
In 1916 he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the announcement appearing in the London Gazette on April 15th 1916. His citation read: "For conspicuous gallantry and consistent good work with a Lewis gun."
Shortly after this award, possibly as a direct result, he was promoted to Serjeant: the record of the DCM and the promotion were entered onto his medal record in the same hand and apparently at the same time. According to his Silver War Badge (382475) listing, following the disbanding of the 8th Battalion in February 1918 he was transferred to the 7th Battalion. He was obviously either ill or injured, since he was awarded the SWB, and was discharged as "no longer fit for service (Kings Regulations Para 392 xvi)" on July 30th 1918. In later life he had only one leg, and family folklore suggests he lost the other during active service, but at this point no documentary evidence to confirm this has been found. Following his discharge he returned to Birmingham, married in 1922, fathered five boys, three of whom served in the Army themselves, and died in 1963 aged 73.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.