Oliver John Stanley Hill – Merchant Navy, S.S. St. Lindsay

Master Oliver John Stanley Hill – Merchant Navy, S.S. St. Lindsay

Early Life and Family Background

Stanley Harry Hill and Elsie Ellen Blanche Colliss
marriage certificate
St Augustine’s Church, Penarth

Oliver John Stanley Hill was born in 1902 in Gloucestershire, the son of Stanley Harry Hill and Elsie Ellen Blanche Colliss, who had married in 1895 at St Augustine’s Church, Penarth.

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, the Hill family were living at 20 King Street, Port Talbot. Stanley Harry is absent from the census return, but his wife, Elsie Ellen Blanche, aged 32 and born in Southampton, is recorded as head of the household.

Her children present were Gladys Elsie Marjorie, aged 14, and Oliver John Stanley, aged 9, both attending school, along with Leslie Rupert Hereward, also aged 9.

Early Career and Advancement at Sea

Masters and Mates Certificate for Second Mate

In April 1923, Oliver achieved a significant professional milestone when he was awarded the Masters and Mates Certificate for Second Mate, marking his formal entry into the ranks of certificated Merchant Navy officers. This qualification opened the path to senior responsibility at sea and laid the foundation for his later command.

Service in the Merchant Navy

S.S. St. Lindsay
credit - Wrecksite

Oliver John Stanley Hill went on to serve with the Merchant Navy, rising to the rank of Master of the S.S. St. Lindsay. As Master, he bore full responsibility for the safety of the ship, her crew, and her cargo during some of the most perilous years of the Second World War, when merchant vessels faced constant threat from enemy aircraft, mines, and U‑boats.

Sinking of the S.S. St. Lindsay – 14^th June 1941

In June 1941, the St. Lindsay had been dispersed from Convoy OG‑64, sailing independently southwest of Iceland — a dangerous position during the height of the U‑boat campaign.

At 03.46 hours on 14^th June 1941, the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by U‑751. The torpedo struck the foreship, triggering a violent detonation that broke the ship in two. The bow section sank immediately, while the stern rose vertically and disappeared beneath the sea just 80 seconds after the hit.

The attack was catastrophic. The Master and 42 crew members were lost, with no survivors recorded.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Oliver John Stanley Hill
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths records, Oliver John Stanley Hill, of 29 Glanyrafon Gardens, lost his life on 14^th June 1941 while serving as Master of the S.S. St. Lindsay. Like so many Merchant Navy officers and crew who died at sea with no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which honours the thousands of merchant seafarers who gave their lives during both world wars