Pte Nathaniel Hewitt was enlisted into The East Yorkshire Regiment during World War II and later volunteered for airborne forces.

He qualified as a military parachutist on course 109, which ran at RAF Ringway from 27 March to 7 April 1944 and subsequently served with HQ Company, 7th Parachute Battalion, which took part in the campaigns of North West Europe during 1944-45 and later transferred to the Far East as part of the 5th Parachute Brigade.