Peter Hill-Norton

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox military person Admiral of the Fleet Peter John Hill-Norton, Baron Hill-Norton (8 February 1915 – 16 May 2004) was a senior Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Second World War as gunnery officer in a cruiser operating on the Western Approaches and in the North Sea, including the Norwegian Campaign. Subsequently he served on a cruiser covering the Arctic convoys and finally on a battleship in the Eastern Fleet. After the war he commanded a destroyer and then an aircraft carrier. Hill-Norton served as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff and then Chief of the Defence Staff in early 1970s. In the latter role he gave the final commitment to Project Chevaline, the Polaris missile improvement programme. He went on to be Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

Naval career

Born the son of Captain Martin John Norton RFC and Margery Birnie Norton (née Hill), Peter John Norton (he changed his surname to Hill-Norton in 1931)<ref name=odnb>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> was educated at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.<ref name=debrett>People of Today 1994, Debrett, Template:ISBN</ref> He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1928 and, having been promoted to midshipman on 1 May 1932, was posted to the cruiser HMS London later that year.<ref name=heath114>Heathcote, p. 114</ref> He transferred to the battleship HMS Rodney in September 1934 and, having been promoted to sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1935,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he was posted to the battleship HMS Ramillies in August 1936.<ref name=heath114/> Promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1936,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he attended the gunnery course at the shore establishment HMS Excellent in 1939.<ref name=heath114/>

The cruiser Template:HMS in which Hill-Norton took part in the Arctic convoys during the Second World War

Hill-Norton served during the Second World War initially as a gunnery instructor at HMS Excellent and then as gunnery officer on the cruiser HMS Cairo operating on the Western Approaches and in the North Sea and taking part in the Norwegian Campaign in Spring 1940.<ref name=tele>Template:Cite news</ref> He then transferred to the cruiser Template:HMS which took part in the Arctic convoys.<ref name=heath114/> He joined the staff of the gunnery division at the Admiralty in 1943 and, having been promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 April 1944,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> became gunnery officer on the battleship Template:HMS operating in the Eastern Fleet later that year.<ref name=heath114/> With HMS Howe he took part in the attack on the Sakishima Islands.<ref name=tele/>

The Polaris missile improvement programme was approved by Hill-Norton as First Sea Lord

After the end of the War, Hill-Norton became gunnery officer on the cruiser Template:HMS in the South Atlantic and then, having been promoted to commander on 31 December 1947, he was posted to the naval ordnance division at the Admiralty.<ref name=odnb/> He became executive officer of the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle in 1951 and participated in Exercise Mainbrace.<ref name=tele/> Promoted to captain on 31 December 1952,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he was posted to Buenos Aires as naval attaché to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay in September 1953 before commanding the destroyer Template:HMS during the Suez Crisis in 1956.<ref name=odnb/> He became Head of the Weapon Equipment Section at the Admiralty in 1957 and Director of the Tactical and Weapons Policy Division there in 1958.<ref name=heath115>Heathcote, p. 115</ref> He was given command of the aircraft carrier Template:HMS in October 1959, before being promoted to rear admiral on 8 January 1962<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and being appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff in February 1962.<ref name=heath115/> He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1964 New Year Honours.<ref name=debrett/><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was made Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet in June 1964 during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and, having been promoted to vice admiral on 7 August 1965,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he became Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Logistics) at the Ministry of Defence in 1966.<ref name=heath115/> He was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1967 New Year Honours.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Becoming Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in January 1967, it was in this capacity that he took the decision to abolish the Royal Navy's traditional daily rum ration.<ref name=guardian>Template:Cite news</ref> He went on to be Vice Chief of the Naval Staff in August 1967 and, having been promoted to full admiral on 1 October 1968,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he became Commander-in-Chief Far East Command in March 1969.<ref name=heath115/> He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1970 Birthday Honours.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Hill-Norton was swiftly propelled into the post of First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in July 1970 and then, having been promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 12 March 1971,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> into the post of Chief of the Defence Staff in April 1971<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> following the unexpected early retirement of Sir Michael Le Fanu due to ill health.<ref name=heath115/> In the latter role he gave the final commitment to Project Chevaline, the Polaris missile improvement programme.<ref name=tele/> He became Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in 1974, remaining in that post until his retirement in 1977.<ref name=heath115/>

Later career

Hill-Norton was made a life peer as Baron Hill-Norton, of South Nutfield in the County of Surrey, in February 1979,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and took an active role at the House of Lords as a crossbencher.<ref name=heath116>Heathcote, p. 116</ref> He was President of the Sea Cadet Association, Chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a Liveryman of the Shipwrights' Company<ref name=debrett/> and a Freeman of the City of London.<ref name=tele/> He authored a book entitled No Soft Options: The Politico-Military Realities of NATO in 1978 and another entitled Sea Power: Story of Warships and Navies in 1982.<ref name=debrett/> He also narrated a series on sea power for BBC Television in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In later years he took an interest in UFOs, writing about them and expressing concern in Parliament about the potential destruction of files on them.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hill-Norton's interests included gardening and shooting.<ref name=debrett/> He lived at Hyde near Fordingbridge in Hampshire and died of a heart attack at Studland Bay in Dorset on 16 May 2004.<ref name=odnb/>

Family

In 1936 he married Eileen Linstow; they had one son (Vice Admiral Sir Nicholas Hill-Norton) and one daughter.<ref name=debrett/>

Sources

• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• The Papers of Peter Hill-Norton, Baron Hill-Norton, held at Churchill Archives Centre

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