Spencer Allen Hickley

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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 He was superseded in Pathfinder on 26 January.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.

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 The Board concurred and acted to have him superseded in July, 1910.

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.

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.

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, no real detail has been found on his demise.

See Also

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