-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


John Charles Henry Harber

Photo of
Date of birth: 15th February 1908
Place of birth: Plymouth, Devon
Previous occupation: Errand Boy
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Leading Stoker
Service Number: K67054 (later M39787)
Joined Hood: 15th April 1926
Left Hood: 16th May 1929







Biographical Information: John Harber joined the Royal Navy at HMS Impregnable on 26 June 1923, as a Boy Second Class. He was 15 years old. At first, he served in the Seaman Branch, but, in 1926, he transferred to Stoker. During his time in HMS Hood he was advanced to Acting Leading Stoker, and this photo of him was taken onboard in 1929, when he was part of the winning 'Stoker 13 Mess Cutter Crew'. Later in his Royal Navy time, in 1933 when serving in HMS Vivid II as a substantive Stoker Petty Officer, he had another branch change (and service number change) when he transferred to the Regulating (Service Police) branch as an Acting Regulating Petty Officer. In 1940, when serving in the training ship HMS Defiance in Devonport, he earned promotion to Master at Arms.

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)
Service Documentation. Photo from grandson Martyn Oram.