author

John David Hills

A veteran of the First World War, this writer is best remembered for capturing the life of the 1/5th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment with the detail of someone who knew its people and campaigns from the inside. His work has lasted because it blends military record, local pride, and the everyday texture of soldiers' lives.

1 Audiobook

The Fifth Leicestershire

The Fifth Leicestershire

by John David Hills

About the author

John David Hills is known as the author of The Fifth Leicestershire: A Record of the 1/5th Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment, T.F., During the War, 1914–1919. The book is a regimental history of the battalion's service in the First World War, following its path from mobilization through the end of the conflict.

Because easily confirmed biographical information about him is limited in the sources available here, it is safest to describe him through the work he left behind. His writing suggests a close knowledge of the regiment, and the book remains a valuable firsthand-style account for readers interested in the British Army, local regimental identity, and the human side of wartime service.

Today, Hills is remembered less as a public literary figure than as a careful chronicler of one unit's experience. For listeners drawn to military history, his book offers a grounded, personal window into how ordinary soldiers trained, fought, and endured during World War I.