-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.

William Joseph Hill Hodge

By the time William joined the ship's company of HMS Hood on 15 May 1923, he had transferred to an adult engagement and had been advanced three times to the rate of Yeoman of Signals (Petty Officer rate.) He was also a married man by then, having married Beatrice Elsie Ellis in 1922. The timing of his arrival on board was excellent: later in 1923 HMS Hood led the Special Service Squadron on what was known as the Empire Cruise - a year-long circumnavigation of the globe reaching as far as Australia and New Zealand. Working at the heart of the ship's communications organisation, William was ideally placed to know the detail of the Empire Cruise - and he compiled a fascinating record of the world trip, based on signal traffic, which still survives in his family.

William seems to have specialised in becoming a 'big ship' man after his Hood time, because his service record shows that he then served in three successive battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class: HM Ships Malaya, Queen Elizabeth and Barham.

Following the end of his Royal Navy time, William joined the coastguard service and was based at Rame Head, near his native Plymouth. He passed away in his home city in 1966.