James Hill

Who was James Hill?

Brigadier Stanley James Ledger Hill DSO** MC was an officer in the British Army who served as commander of the 3rd Parachute Brigade of 6th Airborne Division during the Second World War. Born in Bath, Somerset, Hill was educated at Marlborough College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before joining the British Army in 1931 and being commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers. He commanded a platoon for a short period, and was then attached to the command post of Field Marshal Lord Gort during the Battle of France, where he oversaw the evacuation of Brussels as well as the beach at De Panne during the evacuation of Dunkirk. After a brief period of time in the Irish Free State, he volunteered for parachute training and joined the 1st Parachute Battalion, and was its commanding officer when its parent formation, 1st Parachute Brigade, was deployed to North Africa.

Hill commanded the battalion during its first airborne operation in North Africa, dropping near the towns of Souk el-Arba and Béja, in Tunisia.