-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.

Peter Nigel Harris

On 24 May 1939, not yet 21 and already serving in HOOD, he was selected to become an officer, and was made a Probationary Midshipman in the RNVR. During his time in HOOD, Mid Harris had pastoral responsibilities for a division of sailors, as well as having responsibility in foc’s’le ‘part of ship’ and for the running of one of the ship’s boats. Peter Harris saw extensive convoy protection duty in HOOD, as well as action in the Norwegian campaign and at Mers el Kébir. He remained in HOOD for rather more than a year, and left her on 23 Sep 1940. As was the custom, his Commanding Officer, Captain Irvine Glennie, wrote a short report on him (known as a ‘Flimsy’) of the same date. Again the custom, he said that PNH had conducted himself “to my entire satisfaction. Shows good promise.” PNH had experienced an enormous amount in HMS HOOD, and his midshipman’s journal survives as a fascinating record of his time on board.

Peter Harris saw service in several successive destroyers over the course of WWII, and although he resumed his legal career after the war he remained in the RNVR, being awarded his VRD on 24 July 1963. The photo was taken at about that time.