He attended the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich shortly before the
Second World War and received his
commission as a
second lieutenant in the
Royal Artillery on 26 January 1939. In the
Second World War, he initially served with 19th
Field Regiment at
Bordon,
Hampshire. Thereafter he was posted to France, attached to the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF). He noted that "nothing exciting happened" in these initial stages of the war.
Second World War Battle of France This feeling would quickly shift when the Germans began their
invasion through the Low Countries on 10 May 1940. Hilton and the 19th Field Regiment headed through
Brussels to take up a position on the River Orne. However, he found that once there, formations on either side were already falling back and that
Belgium had surrendered on 28 May 1940. This subsequently forced the 19th Field Regiment to fall back.
Battle of Dunkirk The unit eventually found themselves at
Dunkirk "guns intact" where they acted as part of the
rear guard. Hilton noted that the
German Army "did not press us as hard as they might have done." Their main problem was
aerial bombing by the
Luftwaffe.
North African Campaign In January 1942 Hilton was posted to the
Middle East. Having joined the
7th Armoured Division,
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, they went to help obstruct the
German thrust towards
Cairo. His birthday on 30 June 1942 followed with the
Battle of Ruweisat which due to the hectic nature of the battle nearly shook him out of the Armoured Division. He noted "If it's like this in an armoured division I shan't last very long." alongside Major G. Masters of
"D" Battery,
RHA, and three carriers of the
Scots Guards, their group came under heavy enemy fire. Major Masters' armoured car was struck by a 50mm shell from an
anti-tank gun at 300 yards, and the observation post assistant (
Gnr. Davidson), It was also at this battle during which he would be wounded in the arm and hand and was subsequently hospitalized in
Cairo. The unit was with the Americans during the thrust up the west-coast past the
Garigliano and
Volturno River lines which the Germans were trying to defend. Hilton described the war at this stage as being "more unpleasant, a war of slow movement and gains, a war of attrition". On 5 August 1944, Hilton would go on to receive the second
bar to his
Military Cross. Around 'La Valee' overlooking the reverse slopes of Point 172, as the
1/7 Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment, captured nearby high ground. Accompanying him was a Captain Stokes; they were not supported by infantry cover due to limited resources, the pair had "incredibly accurate shooting". It was during this same campaign on 14 August 1944 that Hilton would be severely injured at the
Battle of the Falaise Gap. As commander of
J Battery Royal Horse Artillery, Hilton had lost contact with his observation officer. He set out with a
battery captain to establish an observation post. While driving his Jeep when he noticed a friendly lorry coming towards him, forgetting about the possibility of their being land mines, he pulled up on a grass verge, immediately following this a mine detonated under his vehicle. and lost his left eye, earning the nickname "hawk-eyed" Hilton. His wife initially received a telegram notifying her that Hilton was missing and believed to be killed; this was rectified to state that he had been severely wounded and was not expected to live. He was treated in a
Birmingham hospital by plastic surgeon
Sir Harold Gillies He retired from
active service 11 May 1949 receiving a
gratuity. He was also granted the
honorary rank of
major. Despite him ceasing to be a member of the regular army he continued to serve in the
Territorial Army Reserve of Officers. On 1 October 1962, Hilton (then a
lieutenant colonel) requested to revert down to the rank of
lieutenant whilst he was serving with the
Army Cadet Force he ceased to serve with the
ACF 1 October 1966 being restored to his former rank of lieutenant-colonel. == Later life ==