-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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William King

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Date of birth: 9 November 1896
Place of birth: Barnstaple, Devonshire, England
Previous occupation: Gardener (domestic)
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Able Seaman
Service Number: J24890
Joined Hood: 4th December 1926
Left Hood: 6th August 1928







Biographical Information: William King joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class on 6 May 1913, at the age of sixteen. He spent most of World War I in the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Exmouth, joining her in May 1914 as a Boy First Class and remaining until 31 August 1917, by which time he had progressed through the rate of Ordinary Seaman to that of Able Seaman. His Exmouth service included the Dardanelles campaign, and duty everywhere from Scottish waters to the East Indies. By the time William King joined Hood in 1926, he had been advanced to Petty Officer.


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)
Initial information supplied by Mr Graham Lane, Landkey, Barnstaple (King's home town.) Other information from the National Archives