Sir James Hugh Neill, (29 March 1921 – 5 November 2017) was a British businessman, public servant, and

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer. Described as a "doyen of the

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

steel industry", he worked for his family's tool manufacturing firm, James Neill & Co, following leaving school, until retirement (1939 to 1989); he served as the firms chairman between 1963 and 1989, and then its honorary president. He served as

Master Cutler The Master Cutler is the head of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire established in 1624. Their role is to act as an ambassador of industry in Sheffield, England. The Master Cutler is elected by the freemen of the company on the first Monday of ...

for 1958. Neill's only break in his business career was for service in the British Army during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

: he was an officer in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

and had reached the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

by end of the war. In addition to his business interests, he was a public servant. He served as

High Sheriff of Hallamshire The Sheriff of Hallamshire was a shrievalty title which was in existence from 1962 until 1974 in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Creation The shrievalty was created on 30 April 1962 under the terms of the Criminal Justice Administration Act 1962.1962 ...

from 1972 to 1973, and as

Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire This is a list of those who have held the position of Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire: The post was created on 1 April 1974, covering the new metropolitan county of South Yorkshire. This area had previously been covered by the West Riding l ...

from 1985 to 1996. In 1958, like his father and both his grandfathers, he was

for the

Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is a trade guild of metalworkers based in Sheffield, England. It was incorporated in 1624 by an Act of Parliament. The head is called the Master Cutler. Its motto is french: 1=Pour Y Parvenir a Bonne Foi, ...

Early life and education

Neill was born on 29 March 1921 in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England. He was the eldest son of Colonel Sir Frederick Neill and his wife Winifred Margaret Neill (née Colver). He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

, then an all-boys

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...

. He was a member of the Junior Division of the

Officers Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

at his school, and reached the rank of cadet serjeant. He had planned to attend the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, but did not

matriculate Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Career

Military service

On 21 June 1939, Neill was commissioned into the

, Territorial Army (TA), as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. As a member of the TA, he was not a full-time soldier and was part of the

reserve forces A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

. With the outbreak of the

, he was called up for full-time service. During the war, he served at home in the United Kingdom and abroad in Norway, India, Burma and Germany. Having held the

war substantive rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibi ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

January 1946: this promotion was back dated to 11 April 1945. On 17 October 1988, Neill was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 4th Battalion

Yorkshire Volunteers The Yorkshire Volunteers was an infantry regiment of the British Territorial Army. The regiment was raised on 1 April 1967 and disbanded on 25 April 1993. Following subsequent amalgamations and reorganisations the regiment is represented by th ...

, Territorial Army. He stepped down from this post in October 1993, and was allowed to retain the

honorary rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Public service

On 22 March 1972, Neill was appointed by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

; this post is held for one year and is a ceremonial appointment linked to the judiciary. On 8 January 1974, he was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the

Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire This is a list of those who have held the position of Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire from its creation in 1660 to its abolition on 31 March 1974. From 1699 until 1974, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of the West Rid ...

. On 7 May 1985,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

appointed him as

, the monarch's personal representative in county.

Honours

In 1946, Neill was

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Burma". In 1950, he was awarded the

Efficiency Decoration The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twe ...

(TD) in recognition of long service in the reserves. In the 1969 Queen's Birthday Honours, Neill was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) "for services to export". In January 1986, he was appointed a

Knight of the Venerable Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

(KStJ). In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(KCVO) in recognition of his service as Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, and therefore granted the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

''.

Personal life

Neill married his first wife, Jane Shuttleworth, a kennel huntswoman of the Poona and Kirkee Hounds, in 1943 and had two daughters, Jill and Sue, who survive him. He is also survived by his second wife, Anne (née O’Leary), whom he married in 1982, and their son, Michael. He has two grand-daughters, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. He was a keen golfer and was past captain and president of

Lindrick Golf Club Lindrick Golf Club is a golf course in South Yorkshire and is also a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The SSSI covers and was designated for its biological interest. The site was notified in 1987. The course is situated on the ...

, between Sheffield and Worksop. He served on numerous committees of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the sport’s ruling body, and was its captain in 1981. He lived on the edge of Lindrick for six decades. In the equestrian world, he was a member of the Council of the

British Horse Society The British Horse Society (BHS) is a membership-based equine charity, with a stated vision of "a Society which provides a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education". It currently has m ...

and received the society’s Award of Merit in 1988. He ra
four family-run grant-making charities
for over fifty years and supported numerous other charities across the county of South Yorkshire, including being a founding trustee of th
South Yorkshire Community Foundation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neill, Hugh 1921 births 2017 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople British Army personnel of World War II Master Cutlers Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Engineers officers People educated at Rugby School Lord-Lieutenants of South Yorkshire High Sheriffs in Yorkshire Deputy Lieutenants of the West Riding of Yorkshire Knights of the Order of St John 20th-century English businesspeople