Education
University College London. Bradfield College.
University College London. Bradfield College.
He was a former Rector of Imperial College and Vice-Chancellor of London University. The Department of Aeronautics of Imperial College is situated in a building named after him. Educated at University College, London, Hill joined the 18th Bn Royal Fusiliers as a private soldier in 1914 during World War I and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a commissioned officer in 1916.
He took an interest in aircraft design and in 1917 became Officer Commanding the Experimental Section at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough Airfield.
He was made Officer Commanding Number. 45 Squadron in 1924 and flew Vernon transport aircraft on the Air Mail Route carrying British Government air-mail between Cairo and Baghdad, and made other air journeys in Iraq.
He wrote and illustrated a memoir of his time in Iraq and the Middle East: it gives a lively account of flying the large biplanes of the period over difficult desert terrain, and also provides a sharply focussed, and sometimes lyrical description of the landscape and people of the region. He joined the Directing Staff at the Royal Air Force Staff College in 1927 and then went on to be the Officer Commanding the Oxford University Air Squadron in 1930, Deputy Director of Repair and Maintenance at the Air Ministry in 1932 and Air Officer Commanding Palestine & Transjordan Command in 1936.
During World World War II he was Director-General of Research and Development at the Air Ministry and then Commandant of the Royal Air Force Staff College from 1942.
He was appointed Air Officer Commanding Number. 12 Group in 1943 and then served as Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command (also briefly called the Air Defence of Great Britain during his command) from 1943 to 1945. After the War he was Air Member for Training and then Air Member for Technical Services before retiring in 1948.
In retirement he became Rector of Imperial College.
In 1953 he was nominated Vice-Chancellor of London University, before ill-health forced him to resign in the following year before completing his term of office. Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath - 1 January 1944 (Central Bank - 1 July 1941).