Denis Hills
Encyclopedia
Denis Cecil Hills was a British
teacher, traveller, author and adventurer.
suburb of Moseley
. He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham before going on to Lincoln College, Oxford
in 1932 to read PPE. In 1935, he left Oxford to travel through Germany
, funding himself by writing for the Birmingham Post
.
Returning to England, he worked briefly at Shell-Mex before moving to Poland
in 1937 as English editor of a cultural magazine. Hills' book Return to Poland showed his fascination with pre-war Poland, and in 1939 he moved to Warsaw
to teach English. At the outbreak of war, he moved to Romania
where Hills worked with the British Council. He was for a time seconded to General Kopanski's Polish Carpathian Lancers Brigade
, and then to the King's Own Royal Regiment. Polish-speaking, he joined the 5th Kresowa Division in Iraq
and Palestine
before being sent to Italy
in 1944.
When the war was over, Hills became an interpreter and liaison officer with the Soviet military mission at Taranto
. After being demobbed, he taught English in Germany and restless by nature cycled from the Arctic Circle to Salonika. In 1955 he moved to Turkey
teaching English in Ankara
before becoming an instructor at the Technical University. In 1963 he moved to Uganda
, teaching at Makerere University
in Kampala
, when Idi Amin seized power in 1971. Hills spoke out regarding Amin in the book he was writing, The White Pumpkin and was arrested in April 1975 charged with espionage and sedition, tried and condemned to death by firing squad for referring to the dictator as a 'black Nero' and a 'village tyrant'. The Queen
interceded on Hills' behalf, and the then-Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan
, flew out to Kampala to bring Hills home. In 1981 Hills played himself in the film Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
.
He returned to Africa in 1976, travelling through Southern Rhodesia
, which was the subject of his book The Last Days of White Rhodesia. In 1982 he taught in Nairobi.
In 1985 he returned to Poland but was summarily expelled as a result of a piece in The Daily Telegraph
' s Peterborough column, in which he was described as travelling through Poland in order to write a "less than complimentary book about the Communist regime".
Denis Hills had a daughter (Gillian Hills
) by his first wife Dunia Leśmianowna, daughter of Polish symbolist poet Bolesław Leśmian, and two sons by his second wife Ingrid Jan.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
teacher, traveller, author and adventurer.
Biography
Denis Hills was born in the BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
suburb of Moseley
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, two miles south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants...
. He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham before going on to Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
in 1932 to read PPE. In 1935, he left Oxford to travel through Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, funding himself by writing for the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
.
Returning to England, he worked briefly at Shell-Mex before moving to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1937 as English editor of a cultural magazine. Hills' book Return to Poland showed his fascination with pre-war Poland, and in 1939 he moved to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
to teach English. At the outbreak of war, he moved to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
where Hills worked with the British Council. He was for a time seconded to General Kopanski's Polish Carpathian Lancers Brigade
Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade was a Polish military unit formed in 1940 in French Syria composed of the Polish soldiers exiled after the Invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the Polish Army in France...
, and then to the King's Own Royal Regiment. Polish-speaking, he joined the 5th Kresowa Division in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
before being sent to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1944.
When the war was over, Hills became an interpreter and liaison officer with the Soviet military mission at Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
. After being demobbed, he taught English in Germany and restless by nature cycled from the Arctic Circle to Salonika. In 1955 he moved to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
teaching English in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
before becoming an instructor at the Technical University. In 1963 he moved to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, teaching at Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, when Idi Amin seized power in 1971. Hills spoke out regarding Amin in the book he was writing, The White Pumpkin and was arrested in April 1975 charged with espionage and sedition, tried and condemned to death by firing squad for referring to the dictator as a 'black Nero' and a 'village tyrant'. The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
interceded on Hills' behalf, and the then-Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
, flew out to Kampala to bring Hills home. In 1981 Hills played himself in the film Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin, also known as Amin: The Rise and Fall, is a 1981 biographical film directed by Sharad Patel and starring Joseph Olita as Idi Amin....
.
He returned to Africa in 1976, travelling through Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
, which was the subject of his book The Last Days of White Rhodesia. In 1982 he taught in Nairobi.
In 1985 he returned to Poland but was summarily expelled as a result of a piece in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
Denis Hills had a daughter (Gillian Hills
Gillian Hills
Gillian Hills is an actress and singer. She rose to fame as a teenager in the 1960s in the British films Beat Girl and later, Blowup...
) by his first wife Dunia Leśmianowna, daughter of Polish symbolist poet Bolesław Leśmian, and two sons by his second wife Ingrid Jan.
Books
- My Travels in Turkey (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1964)
- Man with a Lobelia Flute (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1969)
- The White Pumpkin (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1976)
- Rebel People (London: G. Allen & Unwin, 1978)
- The Last Days of White Rhodesia (London: Chatto and Windus, 1981)
- The Rock of the Wind: a return to Africa (London: Deutsch, 1984)
- Return to Poland (London: The Bodley Head Ltd, 1988)
- Tyrants and Mountains: a reckless life (London: John Murray Publishers Ltd, 1992)
External links
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,4915718-103684,00.html
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1460601/Denis-Hills.html
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/denis-hills-549904.html
- http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0081430/
- http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/9/38/360017