Roger P. Hill (Royal Navy officer)

Infobox Military Person
name= Roger Percival Hill
lived= 22 June 1910 – 5 May 2001
placeofbirth= Cuckfield, Sussex, England
placeofdeath= Arrowtown, New Zealand


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1927 – April 1946
rank= Lieutenant Commander
branch=
commands=HMS "Ledbury",
HMS "Grenville"
& HMS "Jervis"
unit=
battles= World War II
awards=DSO, DSC & MID
laterwork= Published: "Destroyer Captain" (1975 memoirs)

Lt. Cdr. Roger P. Hill, DSO, DSC, (22 June 1910 - 5 May 2001) was a commander of many famous destroyers of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Hill served in very crucial cite web | title=Background on HMS Ledbury| url=http://www.navynews.co.uk/ships/ledbury.asp |accessdate=2007-06-28] theatres of the war, being present in the Arctic convoys, the Mediterranean Campaign and Malta Convoys cite web | title=HMS Ledbury is on the way home| url=http://archive.herefordtimes.com/2003/7/25/31985.html|accessdate=2007-07-02] , as well as playing a supporting role aboard HMS "Jervis" during the landings at Normandy.

Hill's first command, "HMS Ledbury" played a key part in the success of Operation Pedestal, the convoy planned to resupply the beleaguered island of Malta. The "Ledbury" propped up the crucial oil tanker "SS Ohio" after it was hit and successively torpedoed by Axis forces, and nursed it to reach the Grand Harbour, Valletta.

Early Service Record

Hill was educated at Pangbourne cite web | title=James Holland's Second World War| url=http://www.secondworldwarforum.com/my-oral-history-archive/navy/freddie-treves/|accessdate=2007-07-02] , joining the Royal Navy in 1927 cite web | title=Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945| url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersH2.html|accessdate=2007-07-02] . Between 1 September 1928 and October 1930, he served aboard the battlecruiser HMS "Renown", with the Atlantic Fleet. Hill 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 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 [cite web | title=UK TRAINING ESTABLISHMENTS | url=http://www.combinedops.com/Training%20EST%20UK.htm|accessdate=2007-07-02] HMS "Quebec II" in Largs, Scotland, he was commissioned as commander of HMS "Ledbury" on 30 December 1941.

War Service

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 Admiralty. 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 cite web | title=HMS Ledbury:Operation Pedestal - Letter Of Proceedings.| url=http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3|accessdate=2007-06-28] assaulted by Axis airpower, U-boats and E-boats. After a few days at sea, the convoy was attacked by Luftwaffe Ju 88 dive bombers and torpedo bombers. During this attack, Commander 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" cite web | title=Lt-Cdr Roger Hill|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/05/22/db01.xml|accessdate=2007-07-02] .

During the attack, which kept going on through all the night, the "Ohio"'s steering gear was badly 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 again under assault by Ju 88s, in an action which Hill himself described to be as "a mother and father of an attack" cite web | title=Intrepid destroyer captain dies| url=http://archive.thisisworcestershire.co.uk/2001/5/25/324798.html|accessdate=2007-07-02] . 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 cite web | title=Photographs from the Siege of Malta| url=http://www.georgecrossisland.org.uk/viewPhoto.asp?Key=29|accessdate=2007-07-02] , where the destroyer's complement went over the ship's side with ropes to pick up survivors cite web | title=SIMON CUSENS' LETTERS | url=http://merchantships2.tripod.com/simon/letters2.html|accessdate=2007-07-02] 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 his DSO. The Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Vian wrote that Hill's "intrepidity and resource seemed to have no limit" [Shankland and Hunter, Foreword p. 13]

Later Engagements

In 1943, Roger Hill received the command of the destroyer HMS "Grenville". 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 his DSC.

Afterwards the "Grenville" took part in Operation Tunnels, with night sweeps aimed 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 then 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 spent some time in support of the Normandy landings in June 1944. By September 1944, "Jervis" 's engines were worn out, and the destroyer took a long refit in Belfast. 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 cite web | title='His intrepidy knew no limits'| url=http://archive.ledburyreporter.co.uk/2001/5/25/59003.html|accessdate=2007-07-02] .

Later life

In 1965, after his first marriage broke up, Hill and his second wife emigrated to New Zealand. Initially, he worked as a dock labourer, while he was writing his wartime memoirs, "Destroyer Captain" cite web | title='His intrepidy knew no limits'| url=http://archive.ledburyreporter.co.uk/2001/5/25/59003.html|accessdate=2007-07-02] . 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 cite web | title=6OTH ANNIVERSARY OF PEDESTAL CONVOY| url=http://www.dive-bombers.co.uk/News.htm|accessdate=2007-07-02] .

Notes

References

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External links

* [http://www.war-experience.org/history/keyaspects/pedestal0842/pagethree.asp Description of Ledbury's acts in Operation Pedestal]
* [http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersH2.html Details from career of Roger Percival Hill - Commander of the Ledbury ]
* [http://www.world-war.co.uk/index.php3 H.M.S. LEDBURY: OPERATION PEDESTAL - LETTER OF PROCEEDINGS.]
* [http://www.navynews.co.uk/ships/ledbury.asp Royal Navy website of the present HMS Ledbury]

Persondata
NAME=Hill, Roger P.
SHORT DESCRIPTION=|DSC] "', (22 June 1910 - 5 May 2001) was a commander of many famous destroyers of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Hill served in very 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.
DATE OF BIRTH=June 22, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH=United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH= May 5, 2001
PLACE OF DEATH=New Zealand aged 91