-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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Jack Norman

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Date of birth: 15th September 1921
Place of birth: Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England
Previous occupation: Cabinet Maker
Service: Royal Marines
Rank: Marine
Service Number: P/X 3812
Joined Hood: January 1940
Left Hood: June 1940







Biographical Information: Jack Norman was born on 15 December 1921 in Loudwater, Bucks, to William and Harriet Norman, and was the youngest of their 8 children. He lived all of his 98+ years in Loudwater, apart from the 14 years' dedicated service he spent with his beloved Royal Marines.

Jack joined on 14th Feb 1939, just over the age of 17, training at Deal, where he passed for duty on 29th September with the 341st King's Squad. He then spent 3 months at Portsmouth before joining his first ship, HMS Hood, which he served on from 12th January - 24th June 1940. He was stationed back at Portsmouth Barracks recovering from a medical operation, when tragically, the comrades he had signed up and trained with perished with the sinking of the ship. Jack's thoughts were with them to his very end.

Upon recovery, he subsequently served in HM Ships Malaya, Valiant and Theseus. In March 1948 he was stationed in the RM Barracks at Eastney, then Chatham, before returning to Deal in February 1950.In August 1950, Jack had a brief spell on HMS Ocean, before being stationed at RM Barracks at Plymouth, then back at Eastney. Finally, Jack spent 16 months in the Indefatigable, before returning to Plymouth, where he was discharged on 3rd May 1953. Once home, he became a cabinet maker until his retirement at the age of 70.

Jack married his beloved wife Joyce on 17th February 1945. They were married for 67 years until Joyce's passing in 2012.

Jack Norman himself 'crossed the bar' in October 2020. He was the last known Royal Marine to have served in HMS Hood, and one of the very last surviving Hood veterans, sailor or marine.



Additional Photos



Jack in 1939








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)
ADM 101/565
Certificate of Service (courtesy of Jack Norman and Janis Rackstraw)