-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


Cecil Robert McCrum, O.B.E.

Photo of
Date of birth: 24th July 1892
Place of birth: Milford, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Commander
Joined Hood First time: 6th January 1925 (Lieutenant Commander)
Left Hood First time: 12th January 1927 (Commander)
Joined Hood Second time: 9th March 1931 (Commander)
Left Hood Second time: 23rd August 1933 (Commander)







Biographical Information:

Cecil Robert McCrum was born in Milford, Northern Ireland in 1892. He was the only son of William and Maud Mc Crum of Milford House. His father William invented the penalty kick rule in football in 1889. His mother was born Maud Mary Squires, the daughter of Dr. W.W. Squires of Montreal Canada. She was one of the first female graduates of Toronto University. The Mc Crum family owned the linen manufacturing firm of McCrum Watson and Merrcer which supplied linen to the Titanic.

Cecil was called 'Patrick' by his family and 'George' by everyone else. He was educated at the Royal Naval Colleges Osbourne and Dartmouth and joined the Navy in 1905. He reached the rank of Captain RN on the Hood and would have gone on further had it not been for the Invergordon mutiny. In 1931 at the time of the mutiny he was second in command. The admiralty described him as 'the most brilliant officer of his year and possibly of his generation'. He was forced to resign by the admiralty because he sympathized with the crew during the mutiny.

He married Ivy Nicholson the second daughter of William and Ethel Nicholson of Bexhill-on-Sea. They had four sons - Patrick (born 1917 died 1922), Antony (born 1919 ) Michael (born 1924) and Robert. The three surviving sons went on to have highly distinguished careers in the Royal Navy with Michael also being a college master and Vice Chancellor.






History of ships served in and ratings held:


Date FromDate toShipRatingSource
15th May 190514th January 1910Training EstablishmentsNaval CadetADM196/54
15th January 191013th January 1911SuperbMidshipmanADM196/54
14th January 191110th November 2011Bristol
by CinC
MidshipmanADM196/54
11th November 191114th January 1912Bellona
lent by CinC
MidshipmanADM196/54
15th January 191214th January 1913TemeraireActing Sub LieutenantADM196/54
15th January 19134th February 1913TemeraireSub LieutenantADM196/54
5th February 19137th October 1913Minerva for TBDsSub LieutenantADM196/54
8th October 191314th February 1914HerculesSub LieutenantADM196/54
15th February 191430th November 1915Hercules
Reappointed addl on promotion
LieutenantADM196/54
1st December 19158th June 1916Vernon
for
Torpedo Course
LieutenantADM196/54
9th June 1916July 1916Valiant
additional to complete
Torpedo Course
LieutenantADM196/54
10th July 1916August 1916Vernon
addl (T)
LieutenantADM196/54
August 1916November 1916Broke
addl (T) for duty with 11th Flotilla on commissioning
LieutenantADM196/54
November 19166th November 1918Seymour
(T) for duty with 11th Flotilla on transfer
LieutenantADM196/54
7th November 191816th January 1919Douglas
(T)
LieutenantADM196/54
17th January 191914th February 1921Vernon
(T)
LieutenantADM196/54
15th February 192114th February 1922Hawkins
addl (T) & Hawkins as
Fleet (T) Officer
on recommissioning
LieutenantADM196/54
15th February 192210th August 1923Lieutenant CommanderADM196/54
11th August 192315th August 1923Vernon
addl
Lieutenant CommanderADM196/54
16th August 192316th October 1923Queen Elizabeth
(T) Tempy
Lieutenant CommanderADM196/54
17th October 19235th January 1925Vernon
(T) addl
Lieutenant CommanderADM196/54
6th January 192530th December 1926Hood
(T) and on recommissioning
Lieutenant CommanderADM196/54
31st December 192612th January 1927CommanderADM196/54
13th January 192720th February 1927Victory
for Unemployed Time
CommanderADM196/54
21st February 192721st June 1927President
addl for 4 months study in France
CommanderADM196/54
22nd June 19273rd October 1927Victory
for Unemployed Time
CommanderADM196/54
4th October 19276th January 1929President
for
Staff Course
CommanderADM196/54
7th January 19297th March 1929Victory
additional for
Senior Officers Technical Course (Part 2)
CommanderADM196/54
8th March 192917th November 1929Queen Elizabeth
additional and as
Staff Officer (Operations)
on joining
CommanderADM196/54
18th November 192926th May 1930Warspite
additional as
Staff Officer (Operations)
on transfer of Flag
CommanderADM196/54
27th May 19308th March 1931Queen Elizabeth
additional as
Staff Officer
CommanderADM196/54
9th March 193123rd August 1933Hood
Victory addl for Hood and Hood on recommissioning and as [illegible]
CommanderADM196/54
24th August 193320th May 1934Revenge
additional as
Staff Officer (Operations)
and as interpreter in French
CommanderADM196/54
21st May 1934November 1934Resolution
addl as
Staff Officer (Operations) and as Interpreter in French
& Revenge ditto on transfer
CommanderADM196/54
16th September 193414th November 1934Half Pay
for 2 months at own request
CommanderADM196/54
15th November 193421st January 1936President
additional for duty inside Admiralty
Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining
vice De'Ath
CommanderADM196/54
17th February 19363rd June 1936Danae
in command
CommanderADM196/54
4th June 193615th September 1937Drake
additional for special service
CommanderADM196/54
16th September 193711th October 1937Barham
additional for service on the
Staff Commanding in Chief Mediterranean temporary as liaison officer with French Commander in Chief and as interpreter in French.
CommanderADM196/54
12th October 193715th December 1937Drake
additional for special service
CommanderADM196/54
16th December 193726th June 1942Drake
appointed port interpreter - French (Higher Standard)
CommanderADM196/54
27th June 194223rd July 1942Drake
additional in continuation as
Staff Officer (Operations) on Staff of Commander in Chief Plymouth and as Interpreter in French
CommanderADM196/54
24th July 194230th August 1942Drake
Placed on Retired list (age) with rank of Captain (to continue to serve in rank of Commander while in present appointment)
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
31st August 194218th January 1943Excellent
additional for special service (To continue in acting rank of Captain.) Also serving as
Maintenance Captain and as Interpreter in French
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
19th January 194328th February 1943President
additional for duty outside Admiralty with DN ex F as
Maintenance Captain
To continue to serve in the rank of Captain while holding this Appointment
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
1st March 194323rd July 1943Excellent II
additional for Special Service as
Maintenance Captain
Special list 29/3/1943 To continue to serve in Acting rank of Captain
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
24th July 194331st October 1943Excellent II
additional for Special Service as
Chief Staff Officer to Submarine Force Commander
To continue to serve in Acting rank of Captain. (CW Secret List 27/8/1943)
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
1st November 194320th February 1944Odyssey
additional in continuation
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
21st February 194428th July 1944Odyssey
and for duty on
Staff of the Naval Forces Commander Force "G" as Maintenance Captain.
To continue to serve in Acting rank of Captain while holding this appointment. (CW Special List 25/2/1944)
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
29th July 194414th September 1944Attack
additional as
Maintenance Captain, Landing Craft, Portland.
To continue to serve in acting ranki of Captain whilst holding this appointment.
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
15th September 194430th June 1945Drake
additional for duty on
Staff of Commander in Chief Plymouth as Chief Staff Officer Plymouth.
a To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain whilst holding these appointments.
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
1st July 194524th September 1945Forte
in Command vice Hughes and as
Assistant District Shipyard Controller (Falmouth District)
To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain while holding this appointment.
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
25th September 194531st May 1946President
additional for duty inside Admiralty as
Naval Assistant to to Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain whilst holding these appointments.
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
1st June 194611th June 1946Pembroke I
additional (NTJ) (To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain while holding this appointment.)
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54
12th June 1946Released
reverted to retired list
Captain (Retired)ADM196/54


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)
Bridget McCrum (additional information, November 2012)
Paul McManus (biography, Jan 2005)
Anita White (photo), April 2021
ADM196/54 (Service record)