-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.

Chainbar divider


Frederick Leopold Howell

Photo of
Date of birth: 1st February 1899
Place of birth: hastings, Sussex, England
Previous occupation: Errand Boy
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Leading Signalman
Service Number: J31185
Joined Hood: 12th January 1935 (Leading Signalman)
Left Hood: 10th August 1936 (Leading Signalman)







Biographical Information: Frederick Leopold Howell, nicknamed 'Uppy', joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class on 14th May 1914, at the age of 15 years. Even whilst still a Boy (i.e. below 18 years of age) he specialised in signals. Drafted to the Bellerephon class battleship HMS Superb in 1915, he was aboard during her participation in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, still just 16 years of age. As a signalman, he is likely to have had an action station high up in the ship, with a good view of the battle. Unlike many British capital ships that day, Superb - and Frederick - survived the battle unscathed.

As a Leading Signalman, Frederick was drafted to HMS Hood in January 1935 and remained onboard until August the following year. Not long afterwards he served in the elderly destroyer HMS Wild Swan, where the photograph above was taken. He was still aboard her in May 1937, when she ship participated in the Coronation Review of King George VI. He left Wild Swan when she paid off into reserve on 23 August that year. Less than eighteen months later, in January 1939, he was discharged to pension on the day before his 40th birthday. He was recalled to the colours later that year, however, upon the onset of the Second World War. Although he continued to serve in the RN right through that war, it would appear that he served only in shore establishments. He was discharged for a second and final time in 1945.

Frederick Leopold Howell passed away in Merton, London, in 1971.



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)
Ronald Howell
Service Record ADM363/50 (Ancestry)
Mark Glanville, great-grandson, photograph and biographical information, February 2022.