He takes a return from Hammersmith (3)
I believe the answer is:
tim
'he' is the definition.
(short for Timothy)
'a return from hammersmith' is the wordplay.
'a return' says the letters should be written backwards.
'from' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'mit' can be found hidden inside 'hammersmith'.
'mit' back-to-front is 'TIM'.
'takes' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for tim that I've seen before include "- Rice, musical lyricist" , "Tiny . . . is a loveable Dickens boy" , "Tiny ..., endearing Dickens boy" , "-- Brooke-Taylor, comic" , "Tiny -, Dickens character (A_Christmas Carol)" .)