John Hillman - 101 Laps for $101,000

101-Year-Old Veteran John Hillman Walks 101 Laps of the Carlton House Courtyard for $101,000

*Update: Thanks to everyone’s support, John has reached beyond his $101,000 goal and completed his 101st lap on Saturday, May 16th! We will leave the fundraiser page up as the support and generosity continues to pour in. Thank you!  

Inspired by his comrade-in-arms, Captain Tom Moore of England, both bearers of the Burma Star, John Hillman has decided to walk for the charity Save the Children Canada. Having recently celebrated his 101st birthday, John will walk 101 laps around the courtyard of Carlton House of Oak Bay, in hopes to raise a goal of $101,000! 

Each day, John will walk 5 laps of the Carlton House retirement residence courtyard, which will be posted on the Carlton House Facebook page here. Please help John reach his goal by checking out the daily videos and sharing with friends and family! 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Save the Children Canada. 

The Cause - Save the Children Canada's Emergency COVID Relief Fund

Right now, Save the Children has emergency appeals hoping to raise vital funds to respond to the needs of children affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. Your donation will help children and their families be able to afford food, healthcare, and the basic necessities of life in Canada, as well as across 118 countries worldwide.

Save the Children is a global leader in child-focused humanitarian outreach and is working hard to respond to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Your generous donation will directly assist in this life-saving work. 

Coincidentally, Save the Children is celebrating their 101st anniversary this year as well!

We at Carlton House are honoured to have many amazing residents, each with a unique and powerful story, and John Hillman's story is one that is worth the read. Please check out John's commendable story below. 

John Hillman's Story

Born in 1919, in South Wales, UK, and now in residence at the Carlton House of Oak Bay.  John Hillman served with the Royal Air Force in the Second World War, having joined the RAF in 1937 at the ripe age of 17.

Hillman, the proud wearer of four World War II Campaign medals including the Burma Star, felt a special kinship with Moore when he spotted that medal on him! 

Indeed, Hillman served in Burma from 1944 until the surrender of Japan on the 14th of August 1945. 

Born in Wales in 1919, John Hillman has twice moved to Canada with Irene, his wife of 78 years whom he wed in December 1941, in a double ceremony with her sister marrying Calgarian Lloyd Harvey of the RCAF.  John and Irene have made Victoria their home since 1999.  Irene now resides in Glengarry Hospital, on nearby Fairfield Road.

His lengthy and diverse service during World War II began with a very long journey across France, as the RAF withdrew its forces in the first year of the war.  Most North Americans are more familiar with the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk than with the trek of some 60 remaining airmen of the RAF making their way from the Ardennes to the west coast of Brittany and the port of Brest in hopes of evacuation home to Britain.

Back in Britain 1941, he undertook Commando training with a Mobile Communications Unit preparing for the invasion of North Africa, via Tunisia.  In a recent conversation, Hillman noted, with typical grace, that submarine activity in the mid-Atlantic separated his part of the invasion convoy, diverting it to South Africa. Thus, he did not need to endure Tunisia!  After six weeks in Durban, his unit reached North Africa via Cairo where they served in combat as far west as Libya, returning to Cairo to serve in Palestine and Syria. When the Mobile Unit was disbanded, he was posted to a Dakota Squadron in Italy, where he remained until 1944 and his posting to Burma.

Now, at age 101, he is generously donating his time and effort to raise funds for an incredible cause. Please help us in meeting his goal by sharing this story with your friends and family!