-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 John Taylor

Photo of
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Able Seaman
Service Number: J34443
Joined Hood: 24th November 1923 (Able Seaman)
Left Hood: 6th January 1926 (Able Seaman)










Biographical Information: Frederick was born in the village of Milverton in Somerset on 28 June 1898. Having worked as a farm boy locally, he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 3 February 1915. He was present at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916 when he was a Boy 1st Class serving in H.M.S. Shannon as part of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. Frederick joined H.M.S. Hood on 24 November 1923, just three days before the ship set sail on the famous Empire Cruise. He left the Navy in OCtober 1927 having attained the rating of Able Seaman and completed the period of 12 years's service following rating from Boy to Ordinary Seaman. He enjoyed a long life and, after decades at sea, he joined the Gas Board. It is believed that this was a reserved occupation and may account for why he was not asked to serve during the second world war - something which troubled him, especially given the fate of the Hood. He was married to Daisy and had four children. Frederick passed away on 12 May 1989.

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)
Jason Weetch, Great Grandson, from Service records (National Archives), January 2010.