Spencer Allen Hickley

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Captain Spencer Allen Hickley, Royal Navy (2 September, 1870 – 27 September, 1914) was an officer of the Royal Navy with a curious talent for getting in trouble with the Admiralty who died shortly after the start of the First World War.

Life & Career

Hickley was the son of Rear Admiral Henry D. Hickley.[1]

He entered the Royal Navy on 15 July, 1883, joining the training ship Britannia as Naval Cadet. He passed out in July, 1885, with 11 months' time and was rated Midshipman without examination in August.

Having taken five firsts in his examinations for the rank of Lieutenant Hickley was promoted on 2 September, 1890, his twentieth birthday, the earliest possible date.[2]

On 11 July, 1893, Hickley was loaned to first-class torpedo boat T.B. 34 as Lieutenant & Commander, for manoeuvres.[3]

Hickley was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1901.[4]

On 11 December, 1902, he married Winifred Delia Edwards at St. James's Church, Paddington.[5]

Hickley was appointed in command of the scout cruiser Pathfinder on 2 May, 1905.[6]

Hickley was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1907. That same month he was scolded for cancelling an exercise in which T.B.Ds. would attack Scouts on account of weather. He failed to inform the destroyers that the exercise was called off and they wasted the night searching for their prey. He was superseded in Pathfinder on 26 January. On 12 February he was appointed to a course at the Royal Naval War College. On 5 April he was appointed to the battleship Illustrious as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral Robert S. Lowry, the new Rear-Admiral in the Channel Fleet. Lowry struck his flag after an abnormally short period of time, on 1 October, and Hickley gave up command at the same time.[7]

On 27 November 1908, he was appointed to succeed Stuart St. John Farquhar in command of the second class protected cruiser Doris. In May, 1910 he was reprimanded for failing, as prosecutor in a Court Martial, to cross-examine a witness. Worse, he soon incurred Their Lordships' "severe displeasure for entire lack of judgment and for the inefficient pilotage of the ship" in grounding her on 10 June, 1910 in Gibraltar Harbour. The Board concurred and acted to have him superseded in July, 1910.[8]

In April 1911, he assumed command of the second class protected cruiser Encounter.

On 22 August, 1912, he arrived home in England and wrote an intemperate letter when an allowance for his baggage was not provided him. He was cautioned as to his conduct in such cases in future.[9]

Hickley was appointed in command of the first class protected cruiser Argonaut and for a group of ships of the Third Fleet on 6 December, 1913.[10]

In April and May of 1914, he was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser Talbot.

He died on 27 September, 1914 in England. Although his death was reported in The Times,[11] no real detail has been found on his demise.[12][13]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
William E. Pauley
Captain of H.M. T.B. 34
11 Jul, 1893[14][15] – 17 Aug, 1893[16]
Succeeded by
Colin S. Inglis
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Pathfinder
2 May, 1905[17] – 26 Jan, 1907[18]
Succeeded by
Wilmot S. Nicholson
Preceded by
William O. Boothby
Captain of H.M.S. Illustrious
5 Apr, 1907[19] – 1 Oct, 1907[20]
Succeeded by
Hugh H. D. Tothill
Preceded by
Stuart St. J. Farquhar
Captain of H.M.S. Doris
27 Nov, 1908[21][22] – Jul, 1910[23]
Succeeded by
Michael H. Hodges
Preceded by
Philip H. Colomb
Captain of H.M.S. Encounter
4 Apr, 1911[24][25] – 30 Jun, 1912[26]
Succeeded by
Bertram M. Chambers
Preceded by
John Nicholas
Captain of H.M.S. Terrible
10 Jun, 1913[27][28] – 6 Dec, 1913[29]
Succeeded by
Thomas F. T. Michell
Preceded by
William D. Church
Captain of H.M.S. Argonaut
6 Dec, 1913[30][31] – 27 Apr, 1914[32]
Succeeded by
Raymond A. Nugent
Preceded by
Francis G. St. John
Captain of H.M.S. Talbot
27 Apr, 1914[33] – May, 1914[34]
Succeeded by
Lockhart Leith

Footnotes

  1. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  2. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  3. "The Naval Manœuvres". The Times. Monday, 10 July, 1893. Issue 33999, col D, p. 10.
  4. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  5. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  6. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  7. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  8. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  9. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  10. The Navy List. (April, 1914). p. 280.
  11. "Deaths." The Times (London, England), Tuesday, September 29, 1914, Issue 40650, p.1.
  12. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/108.
  13. Kindell. Royal Navy Roll of Honour Part 2. p. 21.
  14. "The Naval Manœuvres". The Times. Monday, 10 July, 1893. Issue 33999, col D, p. 10.
  15. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  16. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  17. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  18. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  19. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  20. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  21. The Navy List. (January, 1910). p. 302.
  22. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  23. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  24. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  25. The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 308.
  26. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  27. The Navy List. (July, 1913). p. 384.
  28. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  29. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  30. The Navy List. (April, 1914). p. 280.
  31. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  32. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  33. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.
  34. Hickley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 108.