Hill escorted the Russian convoys PQ 15, PQ 16 and the unfortunate PQ 17, in which twenty-three out of thirty-four freighters were sunk after a signal to scatter was received from the Admiralty. Hill's Senior Officer on PQ 17, Captain Jack Broome, wrote that "after PQ 17 had little faith in the shore staff who directed operations at sea. He was part rebel: in another age he would have made an excellent – if humane – pirate". After taking part in Russian convoy escort duty, the "Ledbury" was transferred to the Mediterranean, arriving in the Straits of Gibraltar to join the escort for Convoy Pedestal. In early August, thirteen merchant ships and the tanker Ohio, with an escort of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines, left Gibraltar. The convoy was continuously assaulted by Axis airpower, U-boats and E-boats. After a few days at sea, the convoy was attacked by Luftwaffe Ju 88 dive bombers and torpedo bombers. During this attack, Hill took the "Ledbury" through the columns of freighters, crossing and reaching the head of the column to have "a better place to shoot at these planes".