Edmund Hugh Hopkinson

Commander (retired) Edmund Hugh Hopkinson, O.B.E., R.N. (23 September, 1891 – 22 March, 1982) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Hopkinson was the son of Reverend E. G. Hopkinson, a Clerk in Holy Order. His first naval appointment upon passing out of the Training Establishment was to the battleship Bellerophon on 15 May, 1909.

Hopkinson was appointed to Attentive for service in H.M.S. Viking on 29 July, 1914 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 August, 1914.

On 10 December, 1914, he was appointed to Mohawk as first officer.

Post-War

When the war ended, he was appointed for a single month as temporary commander of Swallow. He was then appointed to Queen Elizabeth on 31 December 1918. He remained there until being appointed to attend a Staff Course on 27 September 1920.

On 20 September 1921, he was appointed to Southampton for W/S duties.

Hopkinson was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 August, 1922.

Hopkinson was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Commander on 11 October, 1935.

In early 1938, Hopkinson underwent a three month course in boom defences.

World War II

Hopkinson was in command of the boom defences at Scapa Flow on 14 October 1939 when U 47 successfully penetrated the Flow to sink the moored battleship H.M.S. Royal Oak.

Hopkinson served in a variety of capacities, including as captain of the sloop Sheldrake and as Senior Officer in First Corvette Division, vice Windham-Quinn from 30 January, 1941 to 2 July, 1941 when he was appointed in command of the armed merchant cruiser Worcestershire, holding the acting rank of Captain while holding that appointment. He handed the ship over in late June 1943, when she was taken up as a troop ship by the Ministry of War Transport.

Hopkinson would die at the Victoria Hospital in Deal in March, 1982.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by William H. Sandford	Captain of H.M.S. P24 12 Aug, 1916 – 1 Nov, 1917	Succeeded by Frederick W. Hawkridge
Preceded by Guy K. Twiss	Captain of H.M.S. Tartar 1 Nov, 1917 – 29 Oct, 1918	Succeeded by Noel L. Veresmith
Preceded by Edye K. Boddam-Whetham	Captain of H.M.S. Swallow 26 Nov, 1918 – 31 Dec, 1918	Succeeded by Edward C. Denison
Preceded by Geoffrey R. S. Watkins	Captain of H.M.S. Vindictive 4 Dec, 1943	Succeeded by ?