Norman "Bomber" Hill, MBE, who for 20 years performed bomb disposal duties in Hong Kong, passed away in Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 4 after a short illness. He was 84 years old.

Norman served with the British Forces in Burma during World War II and afterwards joined the Palestine Police where he performed bomb disposal duties during the Haganah Terrorist attacks in the run up to the creation of Israel. He went on to serve in the Malayan Emergency before joining the Hong Kong Police as a Sub-inspector in 1954.

He was quickly recruited into the then Ballistics Office which, prior to 1971, also handled Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) incidents. After a decade of bomb disposal and ballistics duties he was appointed Senior Ballistics Officer in 1967, a post he held until his retirement.

Norman was responsible for defusing a huge variety of bombs and explosive devices during his 20 years with the Force. His cases are still familiar to EOD operators today and ranged from defusing illegal fish bombs to disarming a booby-trapped 1,000-pound aircraft bomb found in Tsim Sha Tsui during construction of the Chung King Mansions.

His greatest moment came, however, during the 1967 riots when he personally defused several hundred improvised explosive devices over a six-month period. As a result of his outstanding contribution to public safety during these times he was awarded the MBE in 1968. His exploits during those hectic days, when he was rarely out of the public eye, also earned him the affectionate public nickname of "Bomber" Hill.

His final operational task came in March 1971 when he was called to defuse two suspicious objects found outside the Central Government Offices. Luck plays a part in all bomb disposal operations and on that night Norman's luck ran out. In the dark, and under pressure, he cleared the first package but, as he turned to deal with the second, an explosion occurred amputating his right hand and forearm. He was then confined, reluctantly, to desk duties until his retirement from the Force in 1975 and subsequently worked as a consultant until his final retirement in 1998.

Norman Hill was a man who combined good humour, courage and steadfastness in equal proportion. He was always extremely generous with his knowledge and experience and maintained a keen interest in the development of Hong Kong's EOD Bureau until his death. He could be single-minded, hard-headed perhaps, stubborn some might say; but, as he often said when discussing with new applicants for bomb disposal duties: "You cannot steel yourself to defuse explosive devices month after month, year after year, without some grit in your character".

Norman was pre-deceased by his wife Lai-kwan and they had no children. He slipped into unconsciousness in his hospital bed, accompanied by Pauline, his life companion for the last 30 years, and fellow EOD operators. His last words to his bomb disposal colleagues were typical of the man who knew the risks and always thought of others before himself: "Always remember it's dangerous. Take care".

His passing marks the end of an era for bomb disposal in the Force. He will be missed and fondly remembered by Pauline and his fellow EOD operators.

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