Peter Hill-Norton
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Peter John Hill-Norton, Baron Hill-Norton (8 February 1915-16 May 2004) was an Admiral of the Fleet and the former Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom. He was known as an outspoken advocate on the importance of sea power and a strong defence for Britain. Though a traditionalist by nature, he also believed in modernization, taking the brave decision to abolish the Royal Navy's traditional daily rum ration.
Hill-Norton was the son of a Royal Flying Corps pilot, but came from a naval family on his mother's side, and became a cadet at Dartmouth at the age of 14. He served through the Second World War as a gunnery officer and at the Admiralty and rose swiftly through the ranks, becoming a captain and naval attaché in 1952, then commanding HMS Decoy during the Suez Crisis in 1956. He was later given the prestigious command of HMS Ark Royal, before becoming a rear admiral in 1962. It was as Second Sea Lord in 1967 that he proposed the abolition of the rum ration. In 1970 and 1971 he was swiftly propelled into the posts of First Sea Lord and then Chief of the Defence Staff by the unexpected early retirement of Sir Michael LeFanu. In 1974 he became head of NATO's military committee, a post he held until his retirement in 1977. He was made a life peer as Baron Hill-Norton of South Nutfield in 1979, and took an active role at the House of Lords as a crossbencher.
External links
- Guardian obituary (http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1220479,00.html)
- Independent obituary (http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/story.jsp?story=522996)
| Preceded by: Sir Michael Lefanu | First Sea Lord 1970–1971 | Succeeded by: Sir Michael Pollock |