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Roger P. Hill (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Commander Roger Percival Hill, DSO
, DSC
, (22 June 1910 - 5 May 2001) was a commander in many famous destroyers of the Royal Navy
during the Second World War. Hill served in crucial theatres of the war, being present in the Arctic convoys
, the Mediterranean Campaign
and Malta Convoys
, as well as playing a supporting role aboard HMS Jervis
during the landings at Normandy.
Hill's first command, HMS Ledbury
played a part in the success of Operation Pedestal
, the convoy to resupply the beleaguered island of Malta
. The Ledbury propped up the crucial oil tanker SS Ohio
after it was hit and successively torpedo
ed by Axis forces, and nursed it to reach the Grand Harbour
, Valletta
.
, before joining the Royal Navy in 1927. Between 1 September 1928 and October 1930, he served aboard the battlecruiser HMS Renown
, with the Atlantic Fleet. Hill was confimed as a sub-lieutenant on 16 July 1931, and then took a promotion course at Portsmouth
between August 1931 and January 1932, serving in the Mediterranean aboard the battleship HMS Resolution
up to June 1933. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1933. He served aboard the cruiser HMS Caradoc
in China
while Hill was aboard the destroyer HMS Electra
(part of the Home Fleet). He served again aboard HMS Hood
between August 1937 and February 1938, later serving in the Mediterranean aboard the cruiser HMS Penelope
. After serving for the eight months ending March 1940 aboard the minesweeping trawler HMS Tamora, Hill served as first lieutenant aboard the sloop
HMS Enchantress. Having been stationed for three months on the mainly administrative Combined Operations Centre HMS Quebec II in Largs
, Scotland
, he was appointed as commander of HMS Ledbury on 30 December 1941.
. Hill's Senior Officer on PQ 17, Captain Jack Broome, wrote that "after PQ 17 [Hill] had little faith in the shore staff who directed operations at sea. He was part rebel: in another age he would have made an excellent - if humane - pirate". After taking part in Russian convoy escort duty, the Ledbury was transferred to the Mediterranean, arriving in the Straits of Gibraltar to join the escort for Convoy Pedestal. In early August, thirteen merchant ships and the tanker Ohio, with an escort of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines, left Gibraltar
. The convoy was continuously assaulted by Axis airpower, U-boat
s and E-boat
s. After a few days at sea, the convoy was attacked by Luftwaffe
Ju 88 dive bomber
s and torpedo bomber
s. During this attack, Hill took the Ledbury through the columns of freighters, crossing and reaching the head of the column to have "a better place to shoot at these planes".
During the attack that continued through the night, the Ohios steering gear was damaged. Hill moved the Ledbury alongside the stricken tanker, and then led the Ohio back into the convoy. As the convoy approached Malta, the ships came under assault by Ju 88s, in an action which Hill himself described to be as "a mother and father of an attack". The freighter SS Waimarama, which was transporting fuel in drums on her upper deck, suffered a direct hit by a stick of bombs, blowing up in an inferno which engulfed surrounding ships and survivors alike. The flames blazed hundreds of feet in the air, and the Mediterranean was aflame "as far as the eye could see". As Italian
aircraft dropped circling torpedoes into the water, Hill led the Ledbury into the surrounding inferno, where the destroyer's complement went over the ship's side with ropes to pick up survivors from the explosion. The intensity of the heat, and the amount of flames around the destroyer was so immense that as Hill leant over the side of his ship, he held on to his beard "to prevent it catching fire".
Again under frequent bombardment, the Ledbury, with the destroyers Penn and Bramham, nursed the disabled Ohio towards Malta, pushing her into its position for a tug, to take her into harbour - there the whole group of ships around the destroyer were greeted by bands playing, and people cheering and shouting. Hill received the signal "Well Done" from Prime Minister
, Winston Churchill
, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
. The Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Vian wrote that Hill's "intrepidity and resource seemed to have no limit".
. On the way from the English Channel
to the Mediterranean, the Grenville was engaged in a successful U-boat hunt in the Bay of Biscay
. For this action, Hill was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
.
Afterwards the Grenville took part in Operation Tunnels, with night sweeps to sink Axis shipping trying to reach Biscay ports. The Grenville was present when the cruiser HMS Charybdis
was sunk, leaving Hill as Senior Officer to deal with the aftermath and to give evidence in a subsequent court martial. Immediately after this action, the Grenville was ordered to the Mediterranean, where she was one of the supporting ships off the Anzio
beachhead. Hill was transferred to the command of the destroyer HMS Jervis, which was repaired after having her bows blown off by a guided bomb, in which he supported the Normandy landings
in June 1944. By September 1944, Jerviss engines were heavily worn, and the destroyer took a long refit in Belfast
. Hill was Mentioned in Despatches for his part in the Normandy landings. Hill was then sent to command an Air Station. Then, as a passenger in an ambulance, Hill sustained head injuries which led to his being invalided out of the service. He was placed on the retired list on 30 July 1946.
. Initially, he worked as a dock labourer, while he was writing his wartime memoirs, Destroyer Captain. Afterwards, Hill taught navigation at Nelson Technical College, and farmed outside Nelson
. Hill built a house, which he called "Jervis" and was a member of the Nelson Harbour Board. Latterly, he lived at Arrowtown, Central Otago.
Roger Hill, who died in New Zealand aged 91, is survived by his second wife Jonquil and their two daughters, and by a daughter and son (a second died in an accident when Chief Officer of a merchant ship and a third in more recent years) from his first marriage. His ashes were scattered over Grand Harbour in 2002.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
, (22 June 1910 - 5 May 2001) was a commander in many famous destroyers of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the Second World War. Hill served in crucial theatres of the war, being present in the Arctic convoys
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
, the Mediterranean Campaign
Mediterranean Theatre of World War II
The African, Mediterranean and Middle East theatres encompassed the naval, land, and air campaigns fought between the Allied and Axis forces in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and Africa...
and Malta Convoys
Malta Convoys
The Malta Convoys were a series of Allied supply convoys that sustained the besieged island of Malta during the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War...
, as well as playing a supporting role aboard HMS Jervis
HMS Jervis (F00)
HMS Jervis was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy named after Admiral John Jervis . Jervis was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 26 August 1937...
during the landings at Normandy.
Hill's first command, HMS Ledbury
HMS Ledbury (L90)
HMS Ledbury was an escort destroyer of the Hunt Type II class. The Royal Navy ordered Ledbury's construction two days after the outbreak of the Second World War and J. I. Thornycroft Ltd laid down her keel at their Southampton yard on 24 January 1940. Air raid damage to the yard delayed her...
played a part in the success of Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
, the convoy to resupply the beleaguered island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. The Ledbury propped up the crucial oil tanker SS Ohio
SS Ohio
The SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company ; she was the largest oil tanker in the world when she was built. The tanker was launched on April 20, 1940 at the Sun Shipbuilding Yard in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. SS Ohio was capable of doing over at sea...
after it was hit and successively torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed by Axis forces, and nursed it to reach the Grand Harbour
Grand Harbour
Grand Harbour is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times...
, Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
.
Early Service Record
Hill was educated at Pangbourne CollegePangbourne College
Pangbourne College is a coeducational independent school located in the civil parish of Pangbourne, just South West of the village, in the English County of Berkshire....
, before joining the Royal Navy in 1927. Between 1 September 1928 and October 1930, he served aboard the battlecruiser HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1916)
HMS Renown was the lead ship of her class of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
, with the Atlantic Fleet. Hill was confimed as a sub-lieutenant on 16 July 1931, and then took a promotion course at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
between August 1931 and January 1932, serving in the Mediterranean aboard the battleship HMS Resolution
HMS Resolution (1915)
HMS Resolution was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She was laid down at Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow on 29 November 1913, launched on 14 January 1915, and commissioned on 30 December 1916....
up to June 1933. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1933. He served aboard the cruiser HMS Caradoc
HMS Caradoc (D60)
HMS Caradoc was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was part of the Caledon group of the C-class of cruisers.She was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock. She was laid down on 21 February 1916, launched on 23 December 1916 and completed and commissioned...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
while Hill was aboard the destroyer HMS Electra
HMS Electra (H27)
HMS Electra was a Royal Navy 'E' class destroyer . She was ordered on 1 November 1932 as part of the 1931 Naval Build Programme; launched on 15 February 1934 at the Hawthorn Leslie Shipyard at Hebburn, Tyneside...
(part of the Home Fleet). He served again aboard HMS Hood
HMS Hood (51)
HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
between August 1937 and February 1938, later serving in the Mediterranean aboard the cruiser HMS Penelope
HMS Penelope (97)
HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland & Wolff , with the keel being laid down on 30 May 1934...
. After serving for the eight months ending March 1940 aboard the minesweeping trawler HMS Tamora, Hill served as first lieutenant aboard the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
HMS Enchantress. Having been stationed for three months on the mainly administrative Combined Operations Centre HMS Quebec II in Largs
Largs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, he was appointed as commander of HMS Ledbury on 30 December 1941.
Commander of the Ledbury
Hill escorted the Russian convoys PQ 15, PQ 16 and the unfortunate PQ 17, in which twenty-three out of thirty-four freighters were sunk after a signal to scatter was received from the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
. Hill's Senior Officer on PQ 17, Captain Jack Broome, wrote that "after PQ 17 [Hill] had little faith in the shore staff who directed operations at sea. He was part rebel: in another age he would have made an excellent - if humane - pirate". After taking part in Russian convoy escort duty, the Ledbury was transferred to the Mediterranean, arriving in the Straits of Gibraltar to join the escort for Convoy Pedestal. In early August, thirteen merchant ships and the tanker Ohio, with an escort of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines, left Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. The convoy was continuously assaulted by Axis airpower, U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s and E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
s. After a few days at sea, the convoy was attacked by Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Ju 88 dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
s and torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s. During this attack, Hill took the Ledbury through the columns of freighters, crossing and reaching the head of the column to have "a better place to shoot at these planes".
During the attack that continued through the night, the Ohios steering gear was damaged. Hill moved the Ledbury alongside the stricken tanker, and then led the Ohio back into the convoy. As the convoy approached Malta, the ships came under assault by Ju 88s, in an action which Hill himself described to be as "a mother and father of an attack". The freighter SS Waimarama, which was transporting fuel in drums on her upper deck, suffered a direct hit by a stick of bombs, blowing up in an inferno which engulfed surrounding ships and survivors alike. The flames blazed hundreds of feet in the air, and the Mediterranean was aflame "as far as the eye could see". As Italian
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
aircraft dropped circling torpedoes into the water, Hill led the Ledbury into the surrounding inferno, where the destroyer's complement went over the ship's side with ropes to pick up survivors from the explosion. The intensity of the heat, and the amount of flames around the destroyer was so immense that as Hill leant over the side of his ship, he held on to his beard "to prevent it catching fire".
Again under frequent bombardment, the Ledbury, with the destroyers Penn and Bramham, nursed the disabled Ohio towards Malta, pushing her into its position for a tug, to take her into harbour - there the whole group of ships around the destroyer were greeted by bands playing, and people cheering and shouting. Hill received the signal "Well Done" from Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. The Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Vian wrote that Hill's "intrepidity and resource seemed to have no limit".
Later engagements
In 1943, Hill received the command of the destroyer HMS GrenvilleHMS Grenville
Four Royal Navy ships have been named HMS Grenville. Vice Admiral Sir Richard Grenville was an Elizabethan sailor, explorer, and soldier:* Grenville, a 12 gun schooner of 69 tons purchased in Newfoundland on 7 June 1763, having formerly been called Sally, and used as a survey vessel...
. On the way from the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
to the Mediterranean, the Grenville was engaged in a successful U-boat hunt in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. For this action, Hill was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
.
Afterwards the Grenville took part in Operation Tunnels, with night sweeps to sink Axis shipping trying to reach Biscay ports. The Grenville was present when the cruiser HMS Charybdis
HMS Charybdis
Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Charybdis, after the sea monster Charybdis of Greek mythology.* The first Charybdis was an 18-gun brig-sloop in use from 1809 to 1819....
was sunk, leaving Hill as Senior Officer to deal with the aftermath and to give evidence in a subsequent court martial. Immediately after this action, the Grenville was ordered to the Mediterranean, where she was one of the supporting ships off the Anzio
Anzio
Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
beachhead. Hill was transferred to the command of the destroyer HMS Jervis, which was repaired after having her bows blown off by a guided bomb, in which he supported the Normandy landings
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
in June 1944. By September 1944, Jerviss engines were heavily worn, and the destroyer took a long refit in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Hill was Mentioned in Despatches for his part in the Normandy landings. Hill was then sent to command an Air Station. Then, as a passenger in an ambulance, Hill sustained head injuries which led to his being invalided out of the service. He was placed on the retired list on 30 July 1946.
Later life
In 1965, after his first marriage ended, Hill and his second wife emigrated to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Initially, he worked as a dock labourer, while he was writing his wartime memoirs, Destroyer Captain. Afterwards, Hill taught navigation at Nelson Technical College, and farmed outside Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. Hill built a house, which he called "Jervis" and was a member of the Nelson Harbour Board. Latterly, he lived at Arrowtown, Central Otago.
Roger Hill, who died in New Zealand aged 91, is survived by his second wife Jonquil and their two daughters, and by a daughter and son (a second died in an accident when Chief Officer of a merchant ship and a third in more recent years) from his first marriage. His ashes were scattered over Grand Harbour in 2002.