Leonard Hill played a major role in the Discovery investigations of the 1930s and was one of the last links with an important era of Antarctic history.
In 1936 he captained the RRS Discovery II, which rescued the US explorers Lincoln Ellsworth and Hollick-Kenyon. He carried out surveying and cartographical work in the Antarctic in the 1930s, and during the Second World War commanded a series of warships guarding the North Atlantic and the Arctic convoys.
In peacetime, his leadership and concern for others found expression in Liverpool in his roles in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, first as a marine surveyor, then as harbour master and port manager. In the 1950s and 1960s he was respected for his skills in labour relations, fairness, and humour.
Leonard Charles Hill was born in Glasgow. In 1924 he joined Glasgow Technical College's cadets course and a year later sailed to Burma. In 1930, he followed submarine training on HMS Dolphin with the Royal Naval Reserve. He then joined the staff of the Discovery as third officer and navigator.
The purpose of Discovery II's research was to acquire knowledge of the whale stocks in the Antarctic seas. Hill undertook a programme of surveying and cartography and was made a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 1935, he took command of Discovery II, sailing to Ellsworth and Hollick-Kenyon's rescue in 1936. His navigation and seamanship were recognised and he received the OBE. A year later, in 1937, he was elected a Younger Brother of Trinity House.
During his command, Discovery achieved many successes. In 1941, he received the bronze polar medal for Antarctic research and in 1942 he received the Royal Geographical Society's Gill award for surveying and cartography. Hill Bay, at Brabant Island in the Antarctic, is named after him.
Hill had wanted to read medicine and, in 1939, left Discovery II to study. However, the war intervened and he was recalled to service. In a distinguished career, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In 1944, Hill became a pilot on the Clyde. In 1946 he became assistant marine surveyor and water bailiff to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, then deputy in 1947. There he took part in the rebuilding of the docks system. Hill was always known for his tact, integrity, and fair-mindedness.
When Mersey Docks and Harbour Board was restructured, he became harbour master, then port manager. He retired in 1972 and moved to Edinburgh in 1982.
He married Joyce Snelus in 1940. She died in 1989. He is survived by two daughters.
Lieutenant Commander Leonard Charles Hill; born September 5, 1908, died September 2, 2003.
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