-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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Ernest Westnutt

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Date of birth: 17th September 1894
Place of birth: Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England
Parents: James and Ann Westnutt
Wife: Edith L Roberts
Previous occupation: Shoe hand
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Petty Officer
Service Number: J13937
Joined Hood: December 1920
Left Hood: June 1922





Biographical Information: Ernest Westnutt was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and his first employment was in the shoemaking industry for which Northamptonshire was famous.

Ernest joined the Royal Navy at HMS Ganges on 20th May 1915, as a Boy Second Class. His advancement was rapid: on reaching the age of 18 he was advanced to the rate of Ordinary Seaman; just nine months later he was advanced to Able Seaman; three years later he was a Leading Seaman; and after another three years or so he was rated Petty Officer. This was rapid progress.

Ernest was present at the Battle of Jutland in the new battleship HMS Revenge. He served in HMS Hood, as a Petty Officer, for about eighteen months from 1920 to 1922.

By a sad twist of fate, his son (also called Ernest) lost his life in October 1939 when HMS Royal Oak, Revenge's sister ship, was sunk by a U boat in Scapa Flow anchorage.

Ernest's response was to rejoin the Royal Navy. He is known to have served in the battleship Duke of York on duty with the Arctic convoys.

Ernest survived World War II and passed away early in 1976 in his native Northamptonshire.



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)
Chris Bilham from Service papers, August 2009.