Hillman | Bernard David
Biography
Bernard David Hillman died of wounds on 14 October 1944 in the vicinity of Overloon. He was aged 23 at the time. He was a Lance Sergeant in the 4th Battalion of the Coldstream Guards (Service No. 2658964). He was initially buried at Cemetery Venraysweg which is just south of Overloon and re-interred on 14 May 1947 in grave II. A. 14. in the Overloon CWG Cemetery. The inscription on his grave reads: “In Memory of Someone Dear who Heard God’s Call. Rest in Peace. Loved by All.”
Family Background
Bernard David Hillman was the son of David Bernard Hillman and Rose Sophia Claridge who had married in Pontypridd in 1920.
Bernard’s father, David Bernard Hillman, was the son of (Ernest) Moritz Hillman and Augusta Stender who had married in Shoreditch, London in 1875. Moritz had been born in 1851 in Saxony in Germany while Augusta had been born around 1852 in Ludwigslust in Mecklenburg in Prussia, Germany. They had at least 7 children born between 1876 and 1896 of whom David was the youngest – born on 10 February 1896 in Pontypridd in Glamorganshire. The family name was originally Hillmann.
In 1881 Moritz and Augusta were living at 1, New Court, Cambridge Holy Trinity, Cambridge with their first two children. Moritz was working as a Pastry Cook. By 1891 they were living at 8, Brooklyn Road, Bath, Somerset with their first five children. Moritz was working as a Baker. The birth places of their children suggest that they moved from Cambridge sometime after 1889.
By 1896 they had moved to Pontypridd as that is where David Bernhard (later Bernard) Hillman was born. In 1901 they were living in Union Street Pontrypridd with their five youngest children. Moritz and Augusta were both shown as a Confectioners and two daughters were shown as bottling confectionery. By 1911 they were living at 22 Union Street but now with just David and his brother still with them. Also present was a boarder and his daughter. Moritz was now described as a Baker Serviceman.
Bernard’s mother, Rose Sophia Claridge, was the daughter of William Edwin Claridge and Frances Sophia Prymer who had married in Mile End Old Town in London in 1894. This was William’s second marriage. He had previously married Ellen West in 1884 in Poplar. He and Ellen had a child called William later in 1884, but he died shortly after birth. In 1891 William and Ellen were living at 32, Strode Road, West Ham, London. William was born in 1854 in London and was a warehouseman. Ellen was born in 1865 in Dartford, Kent. Ellen died in 1894 in Dartford, aged 30.
William married Frances Sophia Pymer in Mile End shortly after his first wife’s death in 1894. Frances was born in 1862. William and Frances had two girls: Rose Sophia on 26 June 1896 and Florence Elsie in 1899 – both in Mile End. Frances died in early 1901 in Mile End leaving William as a widower for the second time. In 1901, William was living at 30, Parr Road, East Ham with his two young daughters and a 74 year old widowed servant called Martha Hall. He was working as a Bricklayer’s labourer. By 1911 William had moved to 91 Richard Street Pontypridd with his two daughters. He was working as a Mason Labourer. Rose aged 15 was acting as his housekeeper.
David Hillman married Rose Claridge on 5 April,1920 in Pontypridd. Bernard David Hillman was born in April 1921 at 68 King Street Treforest, Pontypridd.
In June 1921 David, Rose and 2-month-old Bernard were recorded as visitors at Sunnyside, Aylestone Hill, Hereford, All Saints, Herefordshire. David was shown as working for “Mr D C Pontypridd”. There too was David’s mother, Augusta, also shown as a visitor. It wasn’t clear who the head of this household was however David Hillman completed the census form. Various other visitors and boarders were also present. These included Kathleen Simmons, who was a 14-year-old visitor and Bert and Florence Hillman, both aged 29 and shown as boarders (with Bert born in Pontypridd and Florence in Hereford). Kathleen Simmons was Augusta’s granddaughter – the eldest daughter of Mary Elizabeth Hillman (known as Polly) who had married Joseph James Simmons in 1906. Bert Hillman was Augusta’s son. Bert Hillman was working as a Fruit Merchant. Also there were Alice Workman a 15 year old nurse and Evelyn Workman a 19 year old servant – both from Hereford. Three more boarders were also present – Lawrence and Mabel Beatrice Lax born in Hereford in 1914 and 1920 respectively and Daniel Haret, a Farm Dealer, aged 58 born in Hereford.
At this time, Rose’s father and sister were living at 68, King Street, Treforest, Pontypridd, where Bernard had been born. William was still a Mason’s labourer but was shown as unemployed. Florence was working as a Commercial Traveller but also shown as unemployed. There too was Joseph Thompson Lloyd who was a visitor – born in 1896 in Barry, Glamorgan and working as a Boilermaker, but again unemployed. Rose’s father died in 1935 in Leominster, Herefordshire.
On 31 May 1924, David and Rose had another son, Rone Robert Edward, again at 68 King Street, Pontypridd. His father was shown as a Commercial Motor Driver at this time.
By 1927, David and Rose along with their sons, had moved to 4 Church Street Leominster, Herefordshire where Sylvia Elsie Sophia was born on the 16 April 1927. David Bernard Hillman was employed as a shop assistant in a Fruiterer’s shop at this time.
On 2 November 1930 Augusta Hillman, aged 80, died from “Senile Decay”. Her address at that time was
22 Union Street, Pontypridd. Her daughter, M.E. Simmons of 4 Station Terrace, Pontypridd reported her death. On 5 July 1935 Ernest Moritz Hillman, aged 80, also died from “Senile Decay”. His address at the time was 4 Station Terrace, Pontypridd and his daughter, M.E. Simmons registered his death.
By September 1939, David and Rose Hillman were living at 115 Charlotte Street, Portsmouth with their son Rone. David was working as a Shopkeeper. Rone was working as an Air Speed Apprentice. Their daughter Sylvia was living at 4 Station Terrace, Pontypridd with her aunt, Mary E Simmons and two of her daughters. Mary was now widowed. By this time, Bernard David Hillman had joined the Army.
Military Career
Bernard had enlisted in the Coldstream Guards by 1938. A military record indicates that he had been living in Portsmouth but had been born in Glamorganshire in Wales.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Coldstream Guards were deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force. They were evacuated from Dunkirk the following year. The 4th Battalion was formed in October 1940 at Elstree and the 5th Battalion in October 1941. In 1941, the 1st Battalion was converted to an armoured role and served with the Guards Armoured Division. In November 1942 the 4th Battalion switched from cars to Churchill tanks.
While the 5th and 1st Battalions had entered France in June 1944, shortly after D-Day, the 4th Battalion remained at home until 20 July 1944 when they landed at Juno Beach. In France, they played their part in the battle at Caumont and assisted in the attacks at Vire and Tinchebray. From 15 August until 29 September the 4th Battalion had a relatively quiet time while the 1st and 5th Battalions proceeded through Belgium and the Netherlands to take part in Operation Market Garden. It was only after the failure of that operation to take Arnhem in late September that the 4th Division was brought more fully into the conflict.
On 29 September they reached Eindhoven and headed towards Nijmegen the following day, crossing the River Maas and arriving in the forests at Mook that night. The initial plan had been for them to support the 8th and 185th Brigades of the 3rd Division in an attack on the Reichswald forest area to the east. However, this was cancelled on 7 October as higher priorities were given to securing the port of Antwerp and in widening the salient along the River Maas by turning south to capture Overloon and Venray. It was with this latter task that the 4th Battalion was to assist the 3rd Division. The country was flooded and heavily wooded making reconnaissance difficult. There was incessant rain and impassable roads. The attack was initially scheduled for 11 October but rain flooded the whole district, so it was delayed until 12 October to allow the ground to dry out to some extent.
The operation began with a heavy artillery barrage at midday on 12 October, after the battalion had spent a drenching night in the woods 2 miles north of Overloon. The Coldstream with 8 Brigade were to take Overloon, 1 Sqn. supporting the 1st Suffolks and 3 Sqn. helping the East Yorks., and the Grenadiers with 9th Brigade were to pass through to attack Venray 3 miles further South. The battalion were to be supported by A.V.R.E.s (Armoured Vehicles Royal Engineers – which were Churchill tanks modified in various ways to suit the needs of Assault Engineers) and flails. The Royal Engineers had worked hard to prepare approaches for the tanks through the bogs, dikes and copses which barred their path. At first the advance went briskly until mine-fields were encountered. Here 2 HQ tanks of 4 Tank Coldstream Guards were put out of action, thus destroying two sources of information within a few minutes of each other. There was little first-hand news for some two hours and it was then learned that 2 more tanks had been put out of action by a Panther tank, several of which were previously reported in Overloon. Despite the losses, the village had fallen by 5pm. However, the enemy still held out in a wood on the right flank so the attack continued the following day. It was still impossible for tanks to approach the wood and three tanks were knocked out during the attack and a third blew up on a minefield as it withdrew.
On 14 October the 2nd Squadron advanced with the 1st Norfolks towards the Molenbeek Canal. They met no opposition until they emerged from the woods to the south of Overloon. Here they were suddenly attacked by a Panther which had hidden in the woods they had just left. It missed two tanks but knocked out a third which had gone up on a mine before it retired.
When the two leading troops were fully occupied supporting the Infantry, high velocity shells again began whistling overhead. One tank of the rear troop was knocked out before Lt Page-Wood spotted this second Panther. He directed four shots from his 6pdr. at it but these just bounced off its armour. The Panther replied with four shots which went straight through the front of Sgt. Thompson’s tank but the crew miraculously bailed out unhurt.
Another Panther then opened up on the support troop commanded by L/Sgt. Gough. He refused to withdraw and leave his infantry unprotected and sat doggedly in the open until his own tank and that of his Troop Corporal had been knocked out – a courageous decision for which he won the Military Medal. An air burst shot then killed the commander of Lt Page-Wood’s remaining tank.
It was on this day that Lance Sgt Bernard David Hillman was wounded and then died of his wounds. It isn’t known in which of the incidents he was wounded. Six other men from the Coldstream Guards who died that day are also buried at Overloon (Lance Cpl F Sheen and Guardsmen GJ Wright, RE Silman, E Gilbert, JW Dalton, AT Churchlow) and a least five others were wounded (Lance Sgt LJ Garner and CF Higgins and Guardsmen A Conn, RB Hopkinson and EW Purdy). The other six men who died that day were initially buried alongside the Overloon to Venray road, south of the woods and about half a kilometre north of the Molen Beek, near to where their tanks were attacked. Bernard was buried about a kilometre further north, in the woods just to the east of the same road. It may be that an attempt was being made to transport him back to Overloon or he was being carried back to the Regimental Aid Post at Overloon or the hospital at Oploo for treatment when he died, so he was buried in this location.
Aftermath
Family members commemorated Bernard at various times in the Pontypridd Observer from 1945 to 1953.
On 5 May 1945 the following item appeared:
“No happy returns, only beautiful memories, to dear Bernard on his 24th Birthday, killed in action October 1944. To the world a soldier; To us, the world – Ever remembered by his Aunty Polly and cousins Kathleen, Evelyn, Grace, Violet and Beryl.”
Aunty Polly was Bernard’s father’s sister, Mary Elizabeth Simmons, and the others mentioned were her daughters.
On 4 May 1945 the following item appeared:
“Hillman – In affectionate memory of Sgt Bernard Hillman (Coldstream Guards), born May, 1921, and died of wounds October 1944. – Always in my thoughts and sadly missed by Aunt Elsie.”
On 1 May 1953 the following item appeared:
“Hillman – In loving memory of Bernard Hillman born May 4 1921 died in active service October 1945 (sic) (late Coldstream Guards ) – Always remembered by Auntie Elsie, Uncle Egerton and the Boys!”
Auntie Elsie was Bernard’s mother’s sister, Florence Elsie Claridge, who had married Egerton SG de Morgan in 1932 and with whom she had three boys.
Bernard wasn’t just remembered by his family in Britain but was remembered in Overloon too. After the war, Wilhelm van Kempen and his wife Regina Wientjes adopted Bernard’s grave. At the time, they lived on the Oplosedijk. Later generations of this family have continued to adopt his grave. Members of this family were able to meet Bernard’s parents on a visit to his grave and, on a more recent visit, to meet Bernard’s nephews.
David and Rose Hillman had returned to Wales and were living at 27a Islewyn Road, Upper Boat, Pontypridd, Glamorgan. This area, near Pontypridd, was an area of temporary pre-fabricated housing (mainly bungalows) to accommodate the return of service people after the war. David’s occupation at the time was Chauffer and Handyman.
A young lady called Marion Davis had met Bernard during social occasions held for Service men and women at Welbeck and Rufford Abbeys in Nottinghamshire during the war. She was a nurse working in Chesterfield although living with her parents and sisters in South Normanton, Derbyshire. Over the period of the war, she and Bernard had exchanged letters and met up.
When Bernard was killed, Rone (known as “Bob”) became an emotional support for Marion and their romance gradually blossomed. Marion and Rone were married on 22 March 1950.
Initially, they lived in the village of Gwaelod-y-garth, near Pontypridd. Here they raised 2 sons: David Robert (born 1950) and Bernard Frank (born 1953).
Around 1953, Bob and Marion came to live at 14 Islewyn Road to be near his parents.
In June 1957, Bob and Marion and family moved to Sutton-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire. Bob began a career working as a miner in a local colliery. Marion remained at home looking after their third child Richard John, who was born later in 1957. Around 1964 David and Rose moved to live with daughter Sylvia and Bill in Chard, Somerset.
In April 1966, they came to live near Bob and Marion at 33 Langford Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield. By now their health was failing. David Bernard died on 13 January 1967 from heart failure. He was described as a retired chauffeur and handyman. Rose’s mental health declined and she went into a nursing home at Upton, near Newark. She died on 28 December 1968.
Bob died on 28 November 1978 and Marion on 17 July 2003.
