1892 - ?
George William Hills was born at 13 Aberdeen Road in the Preston area of Brighton on 29th July 1892. Although he was recorded in all subsequent documentation with the surname of Hills, his birth certificate shows that his mother Kate Fuller (1866-1939) was unmarried at the time, and his birth name was George William Fuller. No details exist to his father although interestingly living at the same address in 1891 with Kate and her one year old daughter Ellen Charlotte Fuller was a 35 year old widower named George Hill, with his own son George William. Kate was only 25 when her son was born, so it is possible that George may have been the father.
Whatever the truth of his fathers name, George became a member of the Hills family when his mother Kate, at the age of 30, married 64 year old William Herbert Hills, himself recently widowed after the death of his first wife Ellen Penfold in 1894. For the rest of his life George carried the Hills name and passed it on to his children.
By 1901 the extended family were living at 33 Hollingbury Road. William was a carpenter by trade, although at the age of 67 he was probably not employed all the time, taking on occasional work to provide for the family. Kate and William were living there with George and Ellen and their two younger half siblings, Emily Grace Hills and Arthur Herbert Hills.
George remained living with his mother and step-father for many years, shown on the 1911 Census living with them at 10 Herbert Road, Preston Park in Brighton. George, 18 at the time, was working as a Grocers Shop Porter.
At some point in the next three years George began a relationship with Lilian May Cole, four years his junior, and on 24th July 1914 the couple became parents to twin girls Doris May Hills and Gladys Lillian Hills.
On 25th May 1915 George married Lilian, the daughter of Alfred Albert Cole, a coachman. George was working as a Taxicab Driver, probably driving an early motorised cab, although it is possible he was still driving a horse-drawn cab.
On 3rd December 1915 at the age of 23 George enlisted in the 2/4 (Cinque Ports) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, a Territorial unit formed in September 1914 as a second-line or home service unit. He remained in the army until 22nd July 1916 when he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, servicing as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class. As a taxi driver in Brighton he would have needed to understand and repair his vehicle, and this would have given him familiarity with the engines in the aircraft used at the time, although as a 2nd class air mechanic he could have been working on any part of the aircraft or vehicles, arming, rigging or even repairing the fabric in which they were covered. It is likely that his driving skills would have been utilised and he may have worked as a chauffer for commanding officers.
During his service George became a father again when his daughter Violet Rose Hills was born on 8th September 1916.
George was transferred to the Royal Air Force on its creation on 1st April 1918, being listed as a 3rd class air mechanic, a similar role to his previous one in the newly reorganised ranking system. He served with 18 Squadron and remained with them after the end of the war.
While George was serving with the RAF the world was being ravaged by the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic which began to claim victims in spring 1918. On 22nd October 1918 George's wife Lilian became the latest victim, succumbing to the disease at her home of 8 Brigden Street in Brighton. Her mother-in-law Kate was in attendance at her death.
Also dying while George was serving in France was his stepfather William who died 4th July 1919 at the family home of 9 Camden Terrace in Brighton. William's cause of death was Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, a kidney disease which would have lead to kidney failure.
George's squadron was stationed in northern France during 1919. It would appear that George was also victim of the pandemic as his service records show he was hospitalised at the 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital on 4th February 1919, being repatriated on 17th February 1919 to Bradford War Hospital. He remained at Halton Camp, now RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire until 3rd October 1919, when he was placed onto the RAF Reserve list prior to leaving his service.
George returned from service during 1919, and took up residence at his mother's home in Camden Terrace. Also living at the same address was family friend Eva Ellen Marie Matthews. George and Eva began a relationship and on 20th March 1920 they were married at St Peter's Church in Brighton. Seven months after their marriage George and Eva became parents to their son Eric George Hills, born on 8th September 1920.
By 1921 when the Census was taken Eva was living at 58 Buller Road in Brighton with George;s three daughters and their son. George was, however, not at home and could be found serving with the 4th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (Defence Force), in Croydon, Sussex.
Later that same year, on 3rd September 1921, Eva gave birth to the couple's second son who was named Leslie Richard Hills.
For some reason George abandoned his family soon afterwards. An arrest warrant was issued for "leaving his wife and family chargeable to the Common Fund of Steyning Union". His daughter Violet was eventually adopted by Frank and Mercy Mitchell and was known as Violet Hills-Mitchell. Mercy was the elder sister of George's second wife Eva.
No further records linked to George have yet been found, so his later life and death are not currently known. It was believed by his son Eric that he had started a new family in the Lewes area of Sussex, but this cannot yet be proven.
13 Aberdeen Road, Brighton, birthplace of George William Hills
33 Hollingbury Road in Brighton, the Hills family home in 1901
Arrest warrant information For George William Hills, The Police Gazette, 23 July 1924, page 4
Recording and preserving the family history of William James Robins and Heather Ann Edith Hills
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