Lieutenant-Colonel Hepworth Arthur Hill was one of the few West India Regiment Officers who served in South Africa and received the Queen's South Africa Medal. In 1900 he was attached to the Royal Scots Fusiliers and served with them in the Orange Free State in May, and afterwards in the Transvaal, and in Cape Colony, north of Orange River, including the action at Ruidam.

Two Companies of 1st Battalion, West India Regiment were sent to St. Helena to guard Prisoners of War but were removed in disgrace in 1901 and did not receive Medals. Lord Kitchener refused to approve the grant of Medals to this detatchment and wrote from Pretoria to the Adjutant-General at the War Office 10th December 1901: 'In reply to your letter of the 12th October 1901, I have the honour to inform you that I do not recommend the 2 companies of the 1st Battalion West India Regiment, for the Medal, in view of the circumstances of the removal of these 2 companies from St. Helena' (War Office records refer).

Hill was commissioned into the West India Regiment in 1887 and promoted to Major in March 1900. Ironically, in light of the disciplinary problems of the West India Regiment at the P.O.W. camps on St. Helena, he was appointed Superintendent of the Military Prison on Bermuda on 20.11.1901. During the Great War he commanded the 16th (Labour) Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and 1 Labour Group Head Quarters.