WW1 Reginald Michael Hill

Reginald Michael Hill

Reginald Hill was born in Chelsea, London, England, the son of John and Matilda Hill of ‘Mooi Plaats’, 1 Rothesay Street, Remuera, Auckland. He was farming at Kaitaia on enlistment.


Reginald joined the Auckland Mounted Rifles 11th Squadron as Trooper and Trumpeter, and for reasons unknown he transferred to Wellington with the rank of Regimental Sergeant Trumpeter and then reverted back to the Auckland Mounted Rifles three months later in April 1915 as Trumpeter 3rd Reinforcements.

Reginald Hill was 21 when he was killed in action on the 19th May when there was a major defeat of the Ottomans at Anzac Cove by the New Zealanders. More than 40,000 Turks threw themselves at the Anzac lines, determined to drive the invaders into the sea. By the time the attacks petered out, some 10,000 had become casualties. A truce five days later allowed many of the corpses, both Turkish and Anzac, in no man’s land to be buried in shallow graves. In the aftermath of this attack, the two sides continued to fight vicious little battles, but the Anzac line held.[1] Reginald Hill is buried at Walker’s Ridge cemetery which contains the known graves of 40 New Zealanders.