Description
When a young Ron Hill and his tiny fishing boat Wee Hee were forced to take temporary shelter in the port of Weymouth during a stormy voyage from the Channel Islands to Plymouth, he did not imagine then that he would ever return to the little harbour in Dorset. However, as the dark clouds of World War 2 were gathering in 1939, that earlier chance visit was to seal his fate. Army officials were seeking a boat capable of carrying soldiers and ammunition to the Breakwater Forts guarding the Naval Base at Portland, and a skipper who knew the seas around the area. Ron and his larger vessel My Girl met their needs.
Ron Hill was originally from Plymouth. During World War 2, he was the skipper of ‘My Girl’, ferrying soldiers and ammunition between Weymouth Harbour to the Breakwater Forts guarding the Naval Base at Portland. After the war, Ron remained in Weymouth, running ‘My Girl’ as a pleasure boat for visitors. ‘My Girl’ remains in Weymouth Harbour today, still taking holidaymakers out on boat trips. Ron passed away in 1991, shortly after the publication of the first edition of ‘Weymouth at War’. He was married to Dolores and they had five children and seven grandchildren.
