My life history

The life history of Robert Eric Hill.

1917 Born 23rd November, christened Robert Eric after Robert Eric Barringer

1922 Rosemary School.

1923 Maternal grandmother – Mary Barlow died.

1927 High Oakham school.

1928 Maternal grandfather – William Barlow died.

1929 Elsie married John Chapman.

1931 Father’s business at a standstill, no money – two years of poverty. Worked as a shop boy to Martin Wilkinson, the jewellers.

1932 Mansfield Technical Art College, part time working for my father, not happy at home. William married Mabel Fisher of Wellow.

1934 Illustra Signs, Walter Rowland. Full employment as a poster artist.

1935 Devon, Teignmouth

1936 Bought Illustra Signs and sold out to E. L. Thomas & Sons. Couldn’t find suitable premises, lack of capital and confidence.

1937 Took on Laurence Brindley as an apprentice. Business steady but lacklustre.

1938 Bought a high-speed motorbike and enjoyed living. War clouds loomed.

1939 17th October joined Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent.

1940 S. M. E. then to France in March. Back in June – Lancastria, Leeds and Lincoln. Captain Tolhurst R. E.

1941 March – Cape to Suez. November – Sidi Barrani. Colonel C. Chevis R. E.

1942 Pushed back from Al Alegeila/Cairo May/June. July – Iraq, Iran. Colonel E. D. Kassell R. E.

1943 Left Iran August to Karachi, across to Calcutta, on to Agatarla, Tripura and Bengal.

1944 Dacca, Tegoan, Kurmitola, Calcutta and Delhi.

1945 Agatarla, Tripura, Darjeeling. Repatriation to Barnard Castle. Eileen married Oliver Brindley.

1946 2nd January, manager of Scala Cinema, Blidworth.

1947 Studied accountancy in plenty of spare time. Part 1, 2 and 3. Enjoyed the post war period but could not settle down. Lack of petrol.

1948 Obtained post with I. P. C. in March. Out to Qatar, Zekrit as Paymaster, then Pay Accountant, Dukhan. Met Monty Bartlett, Nobby Nobbs and Harold Jolly.

1949 “Abu Floos” – Pay Accountant. Father died.

1950 “Abu Floos” – Pay Accountant and Stores Accountant. Met Maureen Margaret Jolly.

1951 Married Maureen 8th May 1951, at the Political Residence, Bahrain.

1952 Richard Douglas Spence born 17th September, Kirkuk, Iraq.

1953 Leave at Taunggyi Ooyin in summer, gloriously hot.

1954 Julia Elizabeth born 20th July, Bahrain. Mother died. Dukhan and Umm Said.

1955 Transferred to Kirkuk by private plane, July.

1956 Stores Accountant transferring 100,000 records on manuscript to N. C. R. machine records. Made the fundamental mistake of doing much of the work myself and not forming a team. It took 15 months and helped towards the divorce, as I was never home at the time. Report was “a clean transfer”.

1958 King Faisal of Iraq assassinated. Revolution.

1959 Still in Kirkuk though now with Mosul Petroleum Co. as Assistant D. A.

1960 Mosul and Kirkuk, then down to Basra.

1961 Basra Petroleum Co. as Cost Accountant. Divorced Maureen.

1962 Assistant D. A. to McPherson, Tripoli, Lebanon.

1963 November, London for briefing. December out to Qatar.

1964 Divisional Superintendent, Training, Commercial. Met Hassan Yacoub Hussain Al Ansari (HYH).

1965 Superintendent Commercial Training also Acting Head of Training (each year 1966 – 1972), also Acting Personnel & Training Co-ordinator, also Acting Area Superintendent Dukhan, also Acting Area Superintendent Umm Said, also Acting Senior Personnel Assistant Doha.

1971 Employee Development Supervisor. Downgrade in title to make room for local Palestinian.

1972 Senior Personnel Assistant as reward for patience – see above.

1973 Retired in August, service to 16th November. To Algarve.

1974 Armacao de Pera, Algarve.

1975 Algarve – Doha – Algarve. Ishaq Mohammed.

1976 Doha – London – Doha.

1977 Doha – Algarve – London, I. M. E. G.

1978 I. M. E. G. London, Fulham. Met Robert Gamage 5th February. Visit America and Italy. Richard divorced.

1979 I. M. E. G. London to August then Brighton. Visit Italy, Houston, San Francisco and Marin County.

1980 Retired, then Consultant to I. M. E. G.

1981 Retired Consultant, Lowestoft. Julie remarried.

1982 Retired Consultant, Lowestoft. Richard married Margaret.

1983 Retired Consultant, Hove. Breeanna born.

1984 Benjamin born.

1985 March, to Sri Lanka with Robert. Alex born.

1986 Sri Lanka for 9 weeks. Robert married.

1987 Sri Lanka 3rd January to 30th March. Spain September for 2 weeks. Diabetes diagnosed. Hassan bought 69 Langdale Gardens then revoked £140,000 sale next day.

1988 Sri Lanka for one month only. Spain December.

1989 Spain January. Bought freehold of 84 New Church Road. Spain May and June.

1990 Victoria born January 26th. January 27th to Sri Lanka until 10th April. Robert back with me to 12th June. Oliver died 29th May 1990. Eileen died 21st October 1990.

1991 Robert from Sri Lanka 22nd March. Back 8th September. J. H. Mitchell died in D155.

1992 June, Robert from Sri Lanka. August both in Germany for 2 weeks then Algarve for 1 week. Robert returned to Sri Lanka 24th November. Valerie died January 1992.

1993 9th January to Sri Lanka. Returned March. 10th October Robert to UK.

1994 Went to Sri Lanka. Hassan married Sheika.

1995 Tony Scammell had cancer operation. Rita Hill died 12th October.

1996 Robert started building ground floor of new house. Came to UK July. Elsie’s 90th party 5th October. Elsie died 5th December.

1997 Robert returned to Sri Lanka 6th January. I went to Sri Lanka 6th December. New house (a little palace!) finished. Larry died. Hassan visits UK three times each year now.

1998 Returned UK 25th February with Robert. Robert back to Sri Lanka 23rd July.

1999 Went to Sri Lanka 1st January. Robert to UK July back to Sri Lanka 8th December. Tony Scammell died. Remarried Maureen 11th October.

2000 Robert came to UK July. Went to Bath 23rd December. Disaster, back home on 29th December.

2001 Thinking of moving to Bath. Looked at places. Sold New Church Road December.

2002 Moved to Bath, January 10th. Robert Eric Hill died 22nd February.

My father’s ashes were buried under an oak tree donated to Prior Park Gardens in 2011.

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