John Thomas Hilton was the son of Robert Hilton and his wife, Abigail, nee Lambert. He was a barber by trade, and 41 and 9 months old when he enlisted.  By then, his parents may have been dead, because he gave as his next of kin on the enlistment form, his sister, Mrs. Lavinia Alice Atkins, living in Jolimont.

On enlistment he was placed for training with the 9th Depot Battalion for training, presumably at Seymour, as the Broadmeadows camp had proved to be unsuitable. John Hilton trained for four months, before embarking for active service abroad on 23 November, 1915, on board HMAT Ceramic and landing in Egypt. Here the new servicemen were to be reinforcements for the 7th Battalion, following the losses at Gallipoli. John Hilton was to spend 7 months in Egypt, probably at Tel-el-Kebir, where he was attached to the 59th Battalion, taken on strength on 16 March, 1916. He was then transferred to the 6oth Battalion , sailing from Alexandria on 20 May on board the HMT Kingsfaune Castle from Alexandria and landing at Le Havre. On 15 July, 1916, he was again transferred, this time to the 57th Battalion, then on the Western Front fighting at Fleurbaix (Fromelles).

The 57th Battalion suffered relatively light casualties at Fromelles because it was in a supporting role, but then had to hold the line in the days that followed over a period of two months, before being engaged at the Somme. On  27 November, 1916, John Hilton became sick in the field and was transferred to a hospital in the field. From there, he was transferred to Le Havre, suffering from lumbago, myalgia and trench feet. On 9 December, he was sent back to England on HS Formosa and sent to Clandon Park Hospital, the to 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. By now he was 49 years old and a medical report described him as 'white haired and pale', suffering from age and general debility. From here, he was sent to  the Dartmouth Convalescent Hospital.  

He was returned to Australia on board HT Baltana and discharged from further service o 15 June,1917. From here, he disappears form view in 1925, he was living at Station ST., Ferntree Gully, C% Mrs E. Walters; in 1936, he was at 53 Cromwell Rd., Collingwood. He does not appear on the Electoral Rolls in the post war years, but his death is recorded in the Index as 1942, when he would have been 69 years old.