Hickley, John Dennis, Lieutenant, 1862-1895.

The Hickley collection contains several papers relating to J.D. Hickley's education and training; a few short letters written just before his death; his naval records from 1876 to 1886; as well as a short pamphlet entitled 'An Account of the Operations on the Benin River in August and September, 1894', written by Hickley and printed by Royal United Service Institution. However, most of the material on Lieutenant Hickley deals with the circumstances of his death and burial, apparently a reflection of a Victorian obsession with tragic heroes.

Administrative / biographical background
Lieutenant John Dennis Hickley was born on 13 January 1862, the son of Admiral Henry Dennis Hickley. He began a promising career in the Navy in 1874, coming top of his naval cadet class at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He became a Midshipman in October 1876 and served on H.M.S. 'Bellerophon', 'Minotaur', and 'Himalaya'. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in Her Majesty's fleet on 31 December 1884 and gained further qualifications while stationed at Portsmouth, obtaining two First Class certificates for Instruction in Gunnery and Torpedoes in 1892. Hickley was subsequently involved in operations against Chief Nana of Brohemie on the Benin River, West Africa and was awarded the D.S.O. for his services. While in Africa with H.M.S. 'Phoebe' in February 1895, J.D. Hickley drowned in a lagoon close to Lorenzo Marques during an unsuccessful duck-hunting trip.