-H.M.S. Hood Crew Information-
H.M.S. Crew List

It is estimated that as many as 18,000 men served aboard the 'Mighty Hood' during the operational portion of her 21 year career. Unfortunately, there is no surviving official single listing of ALL men who served in her. Here you will find our attempt at creating such a listing. We are using the few, fragmentary crew lists known to exist, Navy Lists, various official reports, public records, and most importantly of all, inputs from the families of former crew.

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Lloyd Falconer Gilling

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Date of birth: 18th June 1899
Service: Royal Australian Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Joined Hood: 10th December 1920.
Left Hood: 18th June 1922.










Biographical Information: Lloyd Falconer Gilling was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. He was in the very first entry to the Royal Australian Naval College, joining as a Cadet Midshipman on the 31st of December 1912. During World War I he served in HMS Canada and HMS Barham. He was promoted Lieutenant on the 15th of May 1920, not long before he joined HMS Hood.

In Hood, Lloyd Gilling served as Assistant Navigating Officer. His commanding officer, Captain John Tomkinson, reported that he was a zealous and reliable officer who showed considerable promise as a navigator.

By 1929 he had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander, had passed the Staff Course and was a qualified deep-specialist navigating officer. His appointment as Navigating Officer of the brand-new heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra would have been a 'plum' appointment, much sought after. His career survived his being found guilty by court martial for Canberra's grounding off North West Australia: his lapse was obviously not considered serious as he immediately commenced further exchange service with the Royal Navy.

Lloyd Gilling had further RN service as a Lieutenant Commander in the early 1930s, serving in HMS Revenge, HMS Resolution and HMS Curlew.

Lloyd contracted Tuberculosis which was a common hazard in the ships of the day. Invalided out of the RAN in 1932, he remained in England and died in 1944.


Additional Photographs
None at this time.


Memorials
No known memorials


Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
'Register of Deaths of Naval Ratings' (data extracted by Director of Naval Personnel (Disclosure Cell), Navy Command HQ, 2009)
Biographical details from Graeme Lunn, May 2021.