Eric Hill (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Eric Hill DFC
DFM
(9 July 1923 – 26 July 2010) played first-class
cricket
for Somerset County Cricket Club
as an opening batsman between 1947 and 1951, later serving as captain of the second team, a long-serving committeeman for the county, and as a journalist covering cricket for the local newspaper, the Somerset County Gazette
, and as a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph
. In the Second World War, he was a navigator on daring and important reconnaissance missions for the Royal Air Force
, and was decorated for his courage.
, where his parents ran a sweetshop. He was educated at Taunton School
, where he was a day boy, and where one of his contemporaries, though a boarder, was the future cricket writer Alan Gibson
. In a profile of Hill written in 1983, Gibson wrote: "Although we were much of an age, he was about twice my size." Hill played soccer and cricket for the school: "[He] had a passion for cricket, a quiet but deep passion, and his ambition was to play for Somerset," Gibson wrote.
. He joined No. 544 Squadron
in March 1944, and flew 53 sorties in a de Havilland Mosquito
with Frank Dodd, many involving long-range photo reconnaissance in the Arctic seas north and east of Scotland, and later over Germany and the Baltic Sea, and also flying diplomatic mail to Winston Churchill at conferences in Moscow, Athens and Yalta.
They flew a mission to the Lofoten Islands on 9 July 1944, searching the coastal shipping lanes and photographing the mainland town of Bodø
. Bad weather in northern Scotland on their return prevented a landing, and they finally landed at RAF Leuchars
with just 10 gallons left in the fuel tanks. On 12 July, they again flew, via a refuelling stop at RAF Sumburgh
in the Shetland Islands
, to the Lofoten Islands, and then on to Altenfjord, to search for German surface vessels, flying 750 miles to the Norwegian coast above thick cloud. The top cover of their aeroplane blew off as they descended towards the fjord to make their photography run, subjecting the crew to freezing temperatures for the remainder of the flight. They made a photographic run over the targets they found, including the Tirpitz
. They lost their codebooks through the open hatch, so were unable to obtain radio assistance on the way back. They flew 2,300 miles in a mission that lasted nearly 8 hours, landing at RAF Wick, but were immediately refuelled and sent on to Leuchars for the photographs to be developed. The intelligence brought by these missions were of crucial importance: Flight Lieutenant (later Air Vice Marshal) Dodd was awarded an immediate Distinguished Service Order
and Flight Sergeant
Hill an immediate Distinguished Flying Medal
. The citations were gazetted
on 8 September and read:
After a reconnaissance flight to Magdeburg
on 16 September, they were chased by two Me 262s, but eluded them by making a series of sharp turns that the faster jet-powered German aircraft could not match, before ducking into cloud to escape. On 18 September, Hill was commissioned as a pilot officer
.
They flew the RAF's last reconnaissance operation to the northern Arctic on 22 March 1945, to photograph Tirpitz lying capsized and partially submerged on the seabed in the bay of Håkøybotn near Tromsø
, having being attacked by RAF bombers in Operation Catechism
on 12 November 1944. They flew for more than 10 hours, covering more than 3,000 miles, reputedly the longest photographic reconnaissance flight of the whole war.
Hill (now a flying officer
) and Dodd (now an acting squadron leader
) were, on 27 July 1945, both awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
for their service. Hill was demobbed as a flight lieutenant.
's opening partner in three seasons, 1948, 1949 and 1951. He played five matches batting in the lower order in the 1947 season, but was promoted to open the innings in 1948 after Frank Lee
retired at the end of the 1947 season. In 22 matches that season, he made 731 runs at an average
of 17.40. Three scores of more than 50 in the season included Hill's career highest of 85, made against Northamptonshire
at Kettering
.
Hill lost his place in the side towards the end of the season when Somerset's amateur contingent was more readily available, but resumed his opening partnership with Gimblett at the start of the 1949 season, with similar results: an aggregate of 718 runs at an average of 18.41, and a regular place in the side until the end of July. Somerset's hopes for Hill were shown by the award of his county cap: "It was hoped that Hill would develop into an ideal partner for Gimblett, but after being awarded his county cap for consistent displays he fell away to a surprising degree," Wisden
reported. He was out of form in 1950 as well, playing only six matches and making only 67 runs, and Les Angell
emerged from club cricket in Bath for Lansdown
as a more regular opening partner for Gimblett.
Angell was still the more regular opening partner for Gimblett in 1951, but Hill also played in more than half of Somerset's matches, opening when Angell was dropped and when Gimblett took a mid-season break, but otherwise batting at No 3 or No 6 in a somewhat mobile Somerset batting line-up. He made only 474 runs at an average of 14.36. His only score of more than 50 was 66, made in the match against Nottinghamshire
at Trent Bridge
.
He played in 72 first-class matches for Somerset, with a batting average of 15.92 from his 138 innings, including 6 half-centuries.
for two consecutive seasons and with the threat that it might go out of business, he and two other journalists organised a special meeting of the club which called for wholesale changes in the organisation and the committee. Their motions were defeated, but the three were recruited to the committee and Hill was made captain of the second eleven. Somerset embarked on a process of recruitment of cricketers from other counties and from overseas that transformed its fortunes by the end of the 1950s. He was also a freelance sports correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, wrote an article for the first-ever edition of The Sunday Telegraph, and travelled to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to report on England's overseas Test matches.
Hill remained as a committeeman and as a reporter on Somerset cricket for more than 40 years. He also contributed the notes on Somerset matches to Wisden for many years. His former school-friend and fellow reporter Alan Gibson wrote in 1983: "He rules over the tatty old press-box at Taunton with what purports to be an iron glove, though there is a velvet hand within it. He will growl about 'you cowboys' to visitors, especially when they arrive late and want to borrow his scorecard, but having been suitably humbled they get their information and their telephone calls in the end... He rightly dislikes a stream of dirty stories in a press-box... but I have noticed he is becoming increasingly voluble himself. Last season I heard him mutter 'Good shot' twice in one over."
He died at Williton Hospital in Somerset. He was survived by his wife, Dorothy.
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
DFM
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
(9 July 1923 – 26 July 2010) played first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
as an opening batsman between 1947 and 1951, later serving as captain of the second team, a long-serving committeeman for the county, and as a journalist covering cricket for the local newspaper, the Somerset County Gazette
Somerset County Gazette
The Somerset County Gazette is a weekly tabloid newspaper in Somerset, England.It is published in a tabloid format on a weekly basis and has a circulation of between 25,000 and 50,000.It was founded in 1836, and is now owned by Newsquest....
, and as a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. In the Second World War, he was a navigator on daring and important reconnaissance missions for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and was decorated for his courage.
Background
Hill was born at TauntonTaunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, where his parents ran a sweetshop. He was educated at Taunton School
Taunton School
Taunton School is a co-educational independent school in the county town of Taunton in Somerset in South West England. It serves boarding and day-school pupils from the ages of 13 to 18....
, where he was a day boy, and where one of his contemporaries, though a boarder, was the future cricket writer Alan Gibson
Alan Gibson
Norman Alan Stanley Gibson was an English journalist, writer and radio broadcaster, best known for his work in connection with cricket, though he also sometimes covered football and rugby union...
. In a profile of Hill written in 1983, Gibson wrote: "Although we were much of an age, he was about twice my size." Hill played soccer and cricket for the school: "[He] had a passion for cricket, a quiet but deep passion, and his ambition was to play for Somerset," Gibson wrote.
War service
Hill volunteered to join the RAF in 1941, and trained as a navigatorNavigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
. He joined No. 544 Squadron
No. 544 Squadron RAF
No. 544 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as a photographic reconnaissance squadron in World War II.-Formation in World War II:...
in March 1944, and flew 53 sorties in a de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
with Frank Dodd, many involving long-range photo reconnaissance in the Arctic seas north and east of Scotland, and later over Germany and the Baltic Sea, and also flying diplomatic mail to Winston Churchill at conferences in Moscow, Athens and Yalta.
They flew a mission to the Lofoten Islands on 9 July 1944, searching the coastal shipping lanes and photographing the mainland town of Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
. Bad weather in northern Scotland on their return prevented a landing, and they finally landed at RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
with just 10 gallons left in the fuel tanks. On 12 July, they again flew, via a refuelling stop at RAF Sumburgh
RAF Sumburgh
RAF Sumburgh was located on the southern tip of the mainland island of the Shetland Islands, and was home to half of No. 404 Squadron RCAF, ....
in the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, to the Lofoten Islands, and then on to Altenfjord, to search for German surface vessels, flying 750 miles to the Norwegian coast above thick cloud. The top cover of their aeroplane blew off as they descended towards the fjord to make their photography run, subjecting the crew to freezing temperatures for the remainder of the flight. They made a photographic run over the targets they found, including the Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
. They lost their codebooks through the open hatch, so were unable to obtain radio assistance on the way back. They flew 2,300 miles in a mission that lasted nearly 8 hours, landing at RAF Wick, but were immediately refuelled and sent on to Leuchars for the photographs to be developed. The intelligence brought by these missions were of crucial importance: Flight Lieutenant (later Air Vice Marshal) Dodd was awarded an immediate Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and Flight Sergeant
Flight Sergeant
Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
Hill an immediate Distinguished Flying Medal
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
. The citations were gazetted
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 8 September and read:
After a reconnaissance flight to Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
on 16 September, they were chased by two Me 262s, but eluded them by making a series of sharp turns that the faster jet-powered German aircraft could not match, before ducking into cloud to escape. On 18 September, Hill was commissioned as a pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
.
They flew the RAF's last reconnaissance operation to the northern Arctic on 22 March 1945, to photograph Tirpitz lying capsized and partially submerged on the seabed in the bay of Håkøybotn near Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, having being attacked by RAF bombers in Operation Catechism
Operation Catechism
Operation Catechism was the last of nine attempts to sink or sabotage the Kriegsmarine battleship Tirpitz during World War II. On November 12, 1944, the RAF Bomber Command dispatched 30 Avro Lancaster heavy bombers from No. 9 Squadron RAF and No. 617 Squadron RAF Operation Catechism was the last of...
on 12 November 1944. They flew for more than 10 hours, covering more than 3,000 miles, reputedly the longest photographic reconnaissance flight of the whole war.
Hill (now a flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
) and Dodd (now an acting squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
) were, on 27 July 1945, both awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
for their service. Hill was demobbed as a flight lieutenant.
Cricket career
Hill joined Somerset in 1947. As a cricketer, Hill was a tall, thin, dark-haired, bespectacled right-handed batsman who played fairly regularly as Harold GimblettHarold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut...
's opening partner in three seasons, 1948, 1949 and 1951. He played five matches batting in the lower order in the 1947 season, but was promoted to open the innings in 1948 after Frank Lee
Frank Lee (cricketer)
Frank Stanley Lee, born at St. John's Wood on July 24, 1905 and died in Westminster on March 30, 1982 was an English first-class cricketer and an umpire who officiated in Test matches....
retired at the end of the 1947 season. In 22 matches that season, he made 731 runs at an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 17.40. Three scores of more than 50 in the season included Hill's career highest of 85, made against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
at Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
.
Hill lost his place in the side towards the end of the season when Somerset's amateur contingent was more readily available, but resumed his opening partnership with Gimblett at the start of the 1949 season, with similar results: an aggregate of 718 runs at an average of 18.41, and a regular place in the side until the end of July. Somerset's hopes for Hill were shown by the award of his county cap: "It was hoped that Hill would develop into an ideal partner for Gimblett, but after being awarded his county cap for consistent displays he fell away to a surprising degree," Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
reported. He was out of form in 1950 as well, playing only six matches and making only 67 runs, and Les Angell
Les Angell
Frederick Leslie Angell, born 29 June 1922, at Norton St Philip, Somerset, is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club....
emerged from club cricket in Bath for Lansdown
Lansdown Cricket Club
Lansdown Cricket Club, formed in 1825, is recognised as the earliest official organised cricket club in Somerset. Originally based in Lansdown, since 1869 the club has been based at Combe Park, Bath, adjacent to the Royal United Hospital.-Foundation:...
as a more regular opening partner for Gimblett.
Angell was still the more regular opening partner for Gimblett in 1951, but Hill also played in more than half of Somerset's matches, opening when Angell was dropped and when Gimblett took a mid-season break, but otherwise batting at No 3 or No 6 in a somewhat mobile Somerset batting line-up. He made only 474 runs at an average of 14.36. His only score of more than 50 was 66, made in the match against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
.
He played in 72 first-class matches for Somerset, with a batting average of 15.92 from his 138 innings, including 6 half-centuries.
Later career
Hill did not play for Somerset after the 1951 season, but remained intimately connected with the county side as a reporter for the County Gazette and on the club's committees. In 1953, after the side had finished at the bottom of the County ChampionshipCounty Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
for two consecutive seasons and with the threat that it might go out of business, he and two other journalists organised a special meeting of the club which called for wholesale changes in the organisation and the committee. Their motions were defeated, but the three were recruited to the committee and Hill was made captain of the second eleven. Somerset embarked on a process of recruitment of cricketers from other counties and from overseas that transformed its fortunes by the end of the 1950s. He was also a freelance sports correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, wrote an article for the first-ever edition of The Sunday Telegraph, and travelled to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to report on England's overseas Test matches.
Hill remained as a committeeman and as a reporter on Somerset cricket for more than 40 years. He also contributed the notes on Somerset matches to Wisden for many years. His former school-friend and fellow reporter Alan Gibson wrote in 1983: "He rules over the tatty old press-box at Taunton with what purports to be an iron glove, though there is a velvet hand within it. He will growl about 'you cowboys' to visitors, especially when they arrive late and want to borrow his scorecard, but having been suitably humbled they get their information and their telephone calls in the end... He rightly dislikes a stream of dirty stories in a press-box... but I have noticed he is becoming increasingly voluble himself. Last season I heard him mutter 'Good shot' twice in one over."
He died at Williton Hospital in Somerset. He was survived by his wife, Dorothy.