Before the war he worked for The Fairey Aircraft Co Ltd as Chief Wireless research engineer. Original research in Ultra short wave techniques including; propagation, direction finding and conference communication. He had a world patent on wireless conference communication and British patents on wireless multiple infra-red ray detector blind landing for Aircraft.
On joining the Royal Signal he had; lecturing experience, workshop experience, knowledge of IC engines and aircraft and 2 yrs experience of wireless communication, between air and the ground and design of equipment.
John Hills was recruited by Colonel Gubbins in August 1940 to set up a wireless network for the Special Duties Branch, passing messages by courier proved to be too slow. Gubbins had the idea to approach the Radio Society of Great Britain for details of radio amateurs serving in the Army. John Hills was a pre-war amateur operator himself with callsign G2AW. His wife Kitty was recruited to the initial network in Kent as one of the ATS wireless operators.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Hall Instation | Commanding Officer Royal Signals | Aug 1940 | Dec 1941 |
| Royal Signals Support | Commanding Officer Royal Signals | Aug 1940 | Dec 1941 |
Warwick School
(1939) Traveling wireless engineer
15 Nov 1939 Appointed to a commission, as 2nd Lieutenant. Officer Evaluation Report. Posted to 1st Army Signals, Harrogate.
23 Jan 1940 Posted from 1st Army Signals, to 2nd Company HQ Signals, British Expeditionary Force.
24 Jan 1940 Disembarked British Expeditionary Force.
26 Jan 1940 Joined No 1 Signals.
3 May 1940 Returned to UK, and Struck off Strength of British Expeditionary Force.
18 Aug 1940 To be 2nd Lieutenant, Intelligence Corps, retaining present seniority.
16 Aug 1940 Appointed Intelligence Officer. GHQ Aux unit, Appointed Acting Captain.
24 Nov 1940 Admitted hospital.
16 Nov 1940 Appointed Temp Captain and promoted War sub Lieutenant.
20 Feb 1941 Acting Major.
20 May 1941 Temp Major and War Sub Captain.
9 Sept 1941 Transferred Royal Signal's to Intelligence Corps, cancelled.
11 Sept 1941 Posted to 3rd Signal Training Centre [Whitby] from GHQ Aux units, cancelled.
15 Sept 1941 Posted from GHQ Aux units to 1 Signal Training Centre [Catterick]. Relinquishes Temp rank.
15 Oct 1941 Posted from 1 Signal Training Centre (Supplies) to ROAO, 17 c/o 1 Signal Training Centre. [Catterick]
23 Oct 1941 Reposted from Signals Experimental Establishment.
8 Jan 1942 Embarked at Liverpool, for service overseas.
16 Jan 1942 Posted to General Service branch GHQ (I).
25 Aug 1942 Posted from 'B' Line of Communication Signals, to 208 HQ signal's.
22 March 1943 Proceed to port of embarkation.
11 May 1943 Posted from disembarkation, to ? 1 Signal Training Centre
27 March 1943 Embarked Bombay, for UK
22 Oct 1943 Posted from 1 Signal Training Centre (S) to REME, Mob and holding centre (as Captain) 22/10/43
10 Jan 1944 Joined No 6 Central Workshops, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), Greenford, as War Office Capt.
3 June 1944 Posted to REME Workshops, Chilwell
28 Oct 1944 Admitted to hospital.
17 Nov 1944 Discharged from hospital.
25 Nov 1944 Posted to Y list ? holding centre.
8 Feb 1945 Relinquishes his command on account of a disability. To be granted the Honorary rank of Major.
Born in Warwick to Captain Reginald and Amy Hills (nee Gold) he married Katherine (Kitty) Hutchinson in 1931. She became an ATS Special Duties Operator.
Service Record via Chris Perry