Cecil ( Bill ) Hill (13 Jul 1925 - 22 Jan 2021)

In loving memory of Cecil Hill who sadly passed away on 22nd January 2021
It is true to say that Dad never really spoke about his childhood and early years, but we did find a journal which described his life and that is what we have used as the basis of this account. Apologies to any of the family who may have remembered things differently.
Cecil James Hill was born in Haslemere on July 13th 1925, the youngest of 8 children. His father William was a Master bricklayer and because of the recession and having 8 children he grew all his own veg to feed the family and young Cecil was always helping his father who made him his own wheelbarrow and was therefore known as young Bill and from then on was known as Bill.
When he was 8 years old his mother sadly died and the family were split up. The girls were sent to an aunt and uncle in Billingshurst, the older boys moved out which left Bill and his older brother Fred living with their father. They muddled their way along for a while experiencing real hardship but then Bill and his father moved into lodgings with a widow who took in laundry. Young Bill spent many hours at the heavy mangle, folding sheets and blankets and taking them to the big house in the village.
Brother Ernie and his wife Violet appeared one day out of the blue and took young Bill to live with them and Violets parents to give him a better way of life which certainly changed his life though quite traumatic as he never saw his father again.
Violets parents were kind, caring souls and gave Bill a lot of love and treated him like their own, so auntie and uncle looked after him for several years. They had a smallholding and Bill loved helping uncle with the chicken and taking on tasks on the farm. They had a large 4-bedroom house and an inside toilet which was a novelty and had his own bedroom.
Bill was taken to Petersfield C of E school which was situated between St Peters Church and the Police Station, the school saying was “you pray to God in one and pray to God you never have to go in the other”
Life improved again when he was given an audition and was accepted into the church choir and during the next 3 years was head boy and soloist until his voice broke. The farm was next door to a garage and when auntie and uncle purchased a car he was allowed to tinker in the garage and gave him the grounding and interest in the automobile industry.
Uncle died when Bill was 13 and the rest of the household moved to Portsmouth, Ernie was working away in the Navy and Bill got a job in the Singer Sewing Machine company, that didn’t last long as by this time the war had started and their house was directly hit. It was with great relief when the rubble was removed from the cellar door and they emerged unscathed but had no possessions.
They moved back to Petersfield and Bill went back to work at the garage. In his free time, he joined the Auxiliary Fire Service as a messenger. He was too young to be a fire fighter but joined all the training drills with the other crew members.
He then decided to join the Royal Army Service Corps in 1943 and was posted to a camp on Southampton

common. During a night out he met his future wife Sheila who worked at Tyrrell and Green.
Bill was sent to India during partition and then Singapore when he returned home, he went to live with Sheila and her family who made him very welcome.
They were married in 1948 honeymooned in London and rented their first house in Swaythling, Bill successfully got a job at Pirelli Cable Works, in June 1952 the twins Peter and Lynda were born, the Suez crisis in 1956 meant he was recalled to the army as a reservist, fortunately this matter was resolved quickly and he soon returned home.
When the grandparent’s health deteriorated the family moved to a larger house and lived together in Bassett, this was handy for babysitters. This arrangement continued until 1980 when both parents had died and Bill and Sheila bought their first house together.
Bill started working at Auto and General and became the manager but the stress took its toll and in 1989 he suffered a heart attack and was medically retired.
Bill and Shelia were very proud of Peter and Lynda’s achievements, Lynda swimming internationally and Peter exhibiting his wonderful bass voice on many a stage. In 1975 both got married Peter to Liz and Lynda to Ray, after a few years they had Grandchildren Steven, Stuart, Martin and Claire, when unfortunately, Lynda’s marriage ended, Bill and Shelia took over child care duties which was most appreciated. Then great grandchildren added to the family Hayley, Kearan, Aidan, Samuel, Pheobe, Mia and Adam. This gave Bill the opportunity to entertain the children with his famous hankey mouse trick.
It was a very happy day when Lynda married Tim and we welcomed his two boys Robert and Philip into the Hill family.
Bill and Sheila enjoyed many overseas holidays and loved entertaining, and grateful to the many good friends they made and are still in contact with, sadly Sheila passed away in 2004 after 56 years of marriage.
Bill had lots of artistic hobbies, sketching, model making with matchsticks and collecting cigarette cards, he also was a founder member of two Masonic Lodges and Southampton Electric Club he was also a member and chaired local societies.
In 2009 he met Jean who became a good friend and companion, they enjoyed many holidays together and shared some good times.
Bill moved to Wilton Manor Care Home in 2018 due to dementia, the family express their deepest thanks for the devoted care and attention provided, we never found Bill anything other than very happy at Wilton Manor it was his home from home. Sadly, he passed peacefully away having contracted COVID-19 on January 22nd, he is now with his beloved Shelia.