Date of birth:

February 17th, 1901 (Kensington/London, United Kingdom)

Date of death:

May 11th, 1940 (Vlaardingen, the Netherlands)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Graves Vlaardingen
Plot: M. Grave: Coll. 716.

Nationality:

British (1801-present, Kingdom)

James A. C. Hill entered the Royal Navy on 15th September 1914. He succeeded Cdr. Firth, who died on We-Hai-Wei island, as CO of HMS Westcott on 1st September 1938. On arrival in Malta, Cdr Hill left the ship for the Admiralty's Plans Division (HMS President) and worked with Cdr Cazalet drawing up plans for sabotage actions in the Netherlands and France should they be occupied by German forces as proved to be the case. He was subsequently tasked to lead Operation XD-B in 1940. More information can be found here.

Cdr Hill was in command of about 100 strong combined naval and army saboteur unit in Rotterdam: Territorial Army "Demo" Party XB (Kent Fortress Royal Engineers) and RN "Demo" Party B. Hill arrived on board of the HMS Wild Swan in Hook of Holland. In the evening of May 10, he received instructions to contribute to the gold transport from Rotterdam to the United Kingdom.

Commander Hill, Ordinary Seamen Higgs and Goshank were killed when Loodsboot 19 hit a magnetic mine at the Nieuwe Waterweg between Vlaardingen en Maassluis in the morning of 10 May 1940. Aboard was a small part of the Dutch gold reserve, which had to be kept out of German hands.

Promotions:
August 15th, 1917: Midsh.
May 15, 1920: A / S.Lt.
January 15, 1921: S.Lt.
January 15, 1923: Lt.
January 15, 1931: Lt. Cdr.
June 30, 1935: Cdr.

Military career:
September 15th, 1914: Entered Royal Navy
September 26, 1917 - January 1919: HMS Repulse
January 22, 1919 - January 31, 1919: HMS Marlborough
January 31, 1919 - June 1, 1919: HMS Greenock [tender to HMS Velox]
June 1, 1919 - June 1920: HMS King George V.
June 1920 - July 1920: HMS Turbulent [tender to HMS Hecla]
July 22, 1920 - January 15, 1922: HMS Sparrowhawk
April 19, 1922 - July 1922: HMS President (additional; for course at Cambridge)
September 11, 1922 - December 15, 1922: promotion course, Portsmouth [HMS Victory & HMS Excellent]
January 15, 1923 - February 24, 1923: HMS Victory (additional; for unemployed time)
February 25, 1923 - June 1923: HMS Dolphin (additional; for submarine course)
July 6, 1923 - July 22, 1923: HMS Dolphin (additional; for submarines, as spare officer)
July 23, 1923 - May 1924: HMS Titania (submarine depot ship) (for submarines, as 3rd Officer) (China)
May 1924 - 1925: 3rd Officer, HMS L7 (submarine) [tender to HMS Titania]
1925 - January 8, 1926: 3rd Officer, HMS L15 (submarine) [tender to HMS Ambrose]
April 28, 1926 - July 1, 1926: HMS Victory (additional; for unemployed time)
July 1, 1926 - July 19, 1926: HMS Ambuscade [tender to HMS Pembroke]
July 20, 1926 - December 13, 1926: HMS Royal Sovereign
December 3, 1926 - July 11, 1927: HMS Emperor of India
July 1927 - June 1928: HMS Conquest (cruiser) (additional; for submarines as spare 1st Lieutenant) (Mediterranean)
October 11, 1929 - January 2, 1929: HMS Dolphin (additional; for submarines as spare 1st Lieutenant)
January 2, 1929 - February 21, 1929: HMS Alecto (additional; for submarine Commanding Officer's course)
February 22, 1929 - February 21, 1930: Commanding Officer, HMS H 48 (submarine) (Portsmouth) [tender to HMS Alecto]
February 22, 1930 - June 1931: HMS Caledon (cruiser) (Mediterranean)
July 15, 1931 - 1932: HMS Colombo (cruiser) (Mediterranean)
October 1933 - July 1935: Commanding Officer, HMS Olympus (submarine) (China)
January 14, 1936 - February 1936: Staff course, RN Staff College, Greenwich [HMS President]
August 2, 1937 - August 1938: Staff Officer (Operations) to Rear-Admiral (Submarines) [HMS Dolphin (submarine depot, Gosport)]
September 1, 1938 - August 21, 1939: Commanding Officer, HMS Westcott (destroyer) (China)
September 1939 - February 1940: HMS Medway (submarine depot ship)
March 11, 1940 - May 1940: Plans Division, Admiralty [HMS President]
May 9, 1940 - May 11, 1940: General commander, Party XB / Party B (Operation XD)

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• Photo 1: The V & W Destroyer Association
• - The London Gazette 26 July 1940
  - HMS Wild Swan
  - HMS Westcott
  - James Alexander Corrie Hill [Zuidfront Holland - Mei 1940]
  - Service Record | The National Archives
  

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