Harold Douglas Hill
Memorial: Kingswood - Holy Trinity Church
Regiment: Royal Navy
Medals: 1939–45 Star, Africa Star, British War Medal
Rank and number: Petty Officer Steward. Service number: P/LX 20909
Parents: Frederick and Clementina* Maria Hill (Nee Gingell)
Marital status: Married
Home address: 136 The Crossway, Portchester, Fareham, Hampshire Lived at 15 Kimberley Road, Kingswood (Parents)
Pre-war occupation: Serving in the Royal Navy
Date of birth: 20/05/1910
Place of birth: Twerton, Bath
Date of death: 22/05/1941
Buried/Commemorated at: No known grave - Commemorated at Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Southsea Common)
Age: 31
Further information:
Harold joined the Royal navy in 1929 as an Officers Steward 4th class and served continuously until his death. At the outbreak of WW2, he was serving on HMS Suffolk which saw action in the Norway campaign. HMS Suffolk was damaged by German bombers, and Harold transferred to HMS Greyhound which saw service in the Mediterranean but was attacked by Stuka bomber off Crete on 22 May 1941, and the ship sunk.
In 1911, Harold was living with his parent in Twerton, Bath, and Harold was the eldest of three children, a younger brother Cyril and younger sister Vera. By 1921 the family had moved to Kingswood. Prior to enlisting in the Royal Navy, Harold was a Hotel Waiter.
Harold married Eva Beatrice Trowern in 1934 at St Mary's Church, Portchester, Fareham, Hampshire, and they had two children Primrose (born 1935) and Douglas (Born 1937). Eva remarried in 1943 (John Bruce). Eva died in 1994.
*Harold’s mother Clementina seems to have various spellings in the records (she was born in Bristol in 1885)
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/peopleView.aspx?116915
Commonwealth War Graves, National Archives - Researcher John Davis. Kindly verified by the family.