CHARLES P. HILL, JR., LT, USN

Charles Hill, Jr. '27

Date of birth: December 3, 1905

Date of death: August 9, 1933

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1927 Lucky Bag:

Charles Phillips Hill, Jr.

Washington, D.C.

"Phil" "Charlie" "Lord"

PHIL first heard reveille "down on the plantation," near Front Royal, Va., where most of the famous Army broncs are raised. He must have associated with them a bit as a lad, because it is hard to get topside of him in an argument.

He was never seen boning overtime until Second Class year, when he heard a rumor that one would have to star for the year even to be a lowly second petty officer in First Class year. Of course, his social obligations required a lot of his time, and Phil has done his part toward maintaining friendly diplomatic relations in various ports of the world. No Assistant can pass Charlie's door without leaving at least four letters, one of which is sometimes a bill for his roommate and at other times an advertisement. "Here's a letter from a girl I've never seen or heard of before. Hmm—Let's see, when can I drag her?" After five minutes of deep thought he decides to play safe and drag the O. A. O. as usual, in which the young man is quite safe.

Lord has the makings of an athlete, and if he had the necessary build we are sure he would be as famous for his touchdowns and home runs as for his good nature and attractive personality.

Tennis: Class (4, 3, 2) Class Numerals (4).

Charles Phillips Hill, Jr.

Washington, D.C.

"Phil" "Charlie" "Lord"

PHIL first heard reveille "down on the plantation," near Front Royal, Va., where most of the famous Army broncs are raised. He must have associated with them a bit as a lad, because it is hard to get topside of him in an argument.

He was never seen boning overtime until Second Class year, when he heard a rumor that one would have to star for the year even to be a lowly second petty officer in First Class year. Of course, his social obligations required a lot of his time, and Phil has done his part toward maintaining friendly diplomatic relations in various ports of the world. No Assistant can pass Charlie's door without leaving at least four letters, one of which is sometimes a bill for his roommate and at other times an advertisement. "Here's a letter from a girl I've never seen or heard of before. Hmm—Let's see, when can I drag her?" After five minutes of deep thought he decides to play safe and drag the O. A. O. as usual, in which the young man is quite safe.

Lord has the makings of an athlete, and if he had the necessary build we are sure he would be as famous for his touchdowns and home runs as for his good nature and attractive personality.

Tennis: Class (4, 3, 2) Class Numerals (4).

Loss

Charles was lost on August 9, 1933 when the seaplane he was piloting crashed near Pearl Harbor. Four other crewmen were also lost.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Charles married Barbara Elizabeth Decker on September 12, 1931. Her father was Commander Walter Decker. The wedding took place in the garden of Wakefield Manor, the country home of the Mrs. George Barnett and Charles’ birthplace. The Rev. Edwin B. Niver performed the ceremony. He was former chaplain at Quantico and was current librarian of the College of Preachers of the Washington Cathedral.
Charles’ body was accompanied home by his wife and his brother, Lieutenant Arthur S. Hill (’29.)
His father was president of the Doubleday-Hill Electric Company. He died four months after Charles and was also buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Charles was also survived by his sister Frances and two aunts: Mrs. Lelia M. Barnett, widow of Major General George Barnett, U. S. M. C., and Mrs. George G. Murray, wife of Commander Murray.
In 1910, the family lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and in 1920, the family lived in Washington, D. C.

He was a relative of VADM Henry C. Mustin and a member of that distinguished naval family.

His brother, Arthur S. Hill '29, wrote in the January-February 1978 issue of Shipmate that he had Charles' ring and was willing to give it to any '27 member who had lost theirs.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

January 1928

Ensign, USS Tulsa

April 1928

Ensign, USS Tulsa

Others at this command:

LTjg Ralph Bradford, Jr. '22

July 1928

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command:

LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24

October 1928

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command:

LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24

ENS James Averill '27

January 1929

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command:

ENS James Averill '27

January 1930

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

April 1930

Ensign, for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet