Military History

To Sydney with WA recruits for the Mining Corps per SS. ’Ulysses’
Embarked Sydney per. ‘Ulysses’ A38 for England 20.2.1916.
Transferred back to Blackboy Hill because of shipping accident to ‘Ulysses’.
Embarked Fremantle per A69 ‘Warilda’ 1.6.1916 for UK.
Roll Rank Captain (1.5.1916)
Roll Unit No.3 Company Mining Corps.
Hillman disembarked at Plymouth 18.7.1916. He marched in to Australian 6th Tunnelling Coy. Training Camp. Hillman proceeded overseas to France 25.8.1916. He was posted to the 6th Tunnelling Coy. Hillman was taken on Strength and posted to 3rd Tunnelling Coy 1.6.1917. Hillman was awarded the Military Cross for bravery whilst under fire 4.6.1918.  The 3rd Tunnelling Company were working in the Loos area and on Hill 70 and  and tunnels at Vermelles  in June 1918. Hillman  was with the No.4 Section of the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company when they were  gassed 9.4.1918 (AWM Diary  16.4.27 Pt. I, April 1918). He was admitted to 34th Field Ambulance 22.6.1918 sick with Pyrexia of Unknown Origin (PUO)? influenza, the next day he was admitted to 23rd Casualty Clearing Station with a fever 23.6.1918. Hillman was transferred to the 1st Corps Officers Rest Station 13.7.1918. He rejoined his Unit – 3rd Tunnelling Coy. 6th Corps 27.7.1918. He was promoted to Captain and directed to command 2nd Australian Tunnelling Coy. He returned to England 6.2.1919 for demobilization. Hillman marched out to England for RTA 17.2.1919.
Embarked Devonport for Australia per ‘Sardinia’ 19.4.1919.
Disembarked Fremantle 28.5.1919.
Discharged/ Appointment Terminated 5.7.1919.
Final Rank Captain, 6th Tunnelling Coy, No.3 Mining Corps.
Medical Condition NK.
Awards and Medals Military Cross, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Military Cross. (details located Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, p 2111), Location 48: for gallant and distinguished service and for bravery under fire. (West Australian Newspaper 27.4.1922)
Notes: Hillman had 2 brothers serving in WW1 Lieut. Herbert Ralph Hillman, 16th Infantry Bn. and Sergeant John Frederick Hillman, 10th Light Horse Regt.
Hillman suffered from a short illness from being gassed whilst in service. He died 3 1/2 years after his return 8.5.1922, aged 36 years. At the time of his death he was a first class engineer with the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Supply Department (MWSS) and worked with Reserve Forces. He was in charge of the 13th Double Field Company Australian Engineer in Guildford. He was also a prominent member of the Guildford Municipal Council. Hillman left a widow and 6 young children on his death (West Australian Newspaper 30.4.1922)
Photos  Cptn. Arthur James Hillman. Phographer Clark, Bristol, UK. Source AWM H00058
              3rd Tunnelling Company at Neoux-le-Mine, France 19.6.1916.Hillman seated 3rd from left in front row.
              Photograph by unknown Official Photographer. Source AWM E02485.
              Cptn. Hillman A.J. Photograph source Western Mail  27.8.1917 p23
              Home of  Arthur James Hillman, 70 East St. Guildford. Photograph from the Helene B. Huelin Collection, photograph sourced and
              reproduced with permisson of the Hillman family
              Hillman Elsie with children Robert, Geoffrey, Helen, Kathleen, Bentley and Margaret. Photograph source and reproduced with permission
              of the  Hillman family
             Helene B. Huelin (nee  Hillman) Collection, sourced and reproduced with permision of the Hillman family.
             Elsie Hillman in the garden of 70 East Street, Guildford. Photograph from the Helene B. Huelin Collection, source and reproduced with
             permission of the Hillman family
             3rd Tunnelling Coy, drilling a ventillation hole in a tunnel 1917. Photographer unknown, photograph source AWM E015689

Information Source
Australasian, Vic.
AWM H00058. Cptn. Arthur James Hillman. Photographer Clark, Bristol, UK. Photograph sourced from the Pictorial Collection of the Australian War Memorial
AWM E0248. 53rd Tunnelling Company at Neoux-le-Mine, France 19.6.1916.Hillman seated 3rd from left in front row. Photograph by unknown Official Photographer. Sourced from the Pictorial Collection of the Australian War Memorial.
AWM E015689. 3rd Tunnelling Coy.  drilling a ventiliation hole in a tunnel 1917. Photographer unknown, photograph sourced from the Pictorial Collection of the Australian War Memorial
AWM 4: AIF War Diaries, 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company. April 1918.  Item 16/4/27 Pt.1.
AWM Embarkation Roll Arthur James Hillman
AWM Honours and Awards Roll Arthur James Hillman.Hillman family and home photographs , from the Helene B. Huelin (nee Hillman) Collection, sourced from the Hillman family
NAA B2455 Hillman A.J. Captain
Melbourne Grammar School en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Grammar_School
St Matthew’s Church Honour Roll 
'Tunnellers' in © Donna Baldey 2008 www.tunnellers.net/profiles___photos/hillman_arthur_james_capt.doc
West Australian Newspaper
Western Mail
Wise H. and Coy. Western Australian Post Office Directories. SLWA

70 East St East Guildford. WA.

 

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