Leslie Thomas Creery Hill

Commander (retired) Leslie Thomas Creery Hill (24 May, 1888 – 4 April, 1940) was an officer in the Royal Navy. In 1929, it was noted that he wanted his last two names to be hyphenated as Creery-Hill.

Life & Career

Hill was born in Caversham and received three months' time on passing out of Britannia in mid January, 1905. He was appointed to Bulwark, but was there just about three months before being invalided with Mediterranean Fever in April. He was sent back and admitted to Haslar Hospital on 19 May. He was found fit on 22 July.

Hill was in Russell from August, 1905 to April, 1908 and then went on leave and started taking examinations, which culminated in his passing Part II in July 1909. On 27 July, he was appointed to Drake of the Fifth Cruiser Squadron.

On 15 April, 1910, Hill was invalided from Drake with gonorrhea and arrived home eleven days later in S.S. Maine. On 28 May, he was discharged from Haslar, having "derived all benefit from treatment." Hill returned to Drake and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 31 December, 1910, continuing to serve in lieu of a sub-lieutenant until 16 February, 1911. The Admiralty expressed its severe displeasure toward him, as senior member of the ship's gunroom for general misconduct, finding that he had "introduced a bad tone & set a bad example and generally failed to realise his responsibilities toward the junior members." On 16 February, 1911 Hill was sent for just one month to serve in Cherwell before being placed in Alarm on 27 March, 1911.

On 28 November, 1912, Hill was appointed to Firedrake of the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla.

On 27 October, 1913, Hill was appointed to Rattlesnake as first lieutenant.

On 9 December 1915, Hill was appointed to Redpole by the Vice-Admiral, but this posting lasted only until New Year's Day, when he was ordered to report to the Admiralty. On 9 January, 1916 Hill received his first seagoing command appointment as Lieutenant in Command of Gipsy.

On 16 March, 1917, he was appointed to join Saracen, where he served until he was appointed in command of the destroyer Octavia on 30 November, 1917.

Post-War

Hill was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1918 and continued in command of Octavia until 7 April, 1919 when he was appointed to Prince George, additional, for command of Midge as well as charge of a group of T.B.Ds..

Hill was appointed in command of the destroyer Thisbe on 1 October, 1919.

Hill spent much of the 1920s fulfilling typical post-war duties of the wartime destroyer officers, namely overseeing groups of destroyers in reserve and fielding the occasional destroyer command. In 1923 while in command of Westminster, he was lent to Heather for an anti-submarine course.

Hill was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Commander on 1 November, 1929.

World War II

Though Hill attended the 1936 and 1937 Sea Transport Officers' Training Courses and received a two-week course in anti-submarine warfare at Osprey in early 1938, his health was not good. In 1939, he was admitted to Haslar Hospital with dyspepsia and expected to remain there until January, 1940. On 4 April, he died, his death being reported in The Times on 8 April.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by William W. Skynner	Captain of H.M.S. Gipsy 9 Jan, 1916 – 16 Mar, 1917	Succeeded by Frederick W. Robinson
Preceded by Victor L. A. Campbell	Captain of H.M.S. Saracen 16 Mar, 1917 – 30 Nov, 1917	Succeeded by George E. L. Atwood
Preceded by Arthur E. H. Wright	Captain of H.M.S. Octavia 30 Nov, 1917 – 7 Apr, 1919	Succeeded by Edward S. F. Fegen
Preceded by Edward S. F. Fegen	Captain of H.M.S. Midge 7 Apr, 1919 – 1 Oct, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by William E. B. Magee	Captain of H.M.S. Thisbe 1 Oct, 1919 – 28 Jan, 1921	Succeeded by George H. Creswell
Preceded by John Brooke	Captain of H.M.S. Viceroy 28 Jan, 1921 – 20 Mar, 1923	Succeeded by George A. Scott
Preceded by Ivan B. Colvin	Captain of H.M.S. Westminster 20 Mar, 1923 – 5 May, 1925	Succeeded by Irvine G. Glennie
Preceded by Alban Knubley	Captain of H.M.S. Scythe 1 Sep, 1925 – 31 Dec, 1927	Succeeded by John G. Crossley
Preceded by The Hon. Valentine M. Wyndham-Quin	Captain of H.M.S. Tara 1 Jun, 1928 – 1 Jun, 1929	Succeeded by John H. Cobby