-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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Albert Reginald Bowditch

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Date of birth: 22nd June 1907
Place of birth: Woolwich, Kent
Previous occupation: Schoolboy
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Able Seaman
Service Number: J106800
Joined Hood: 1st January 1929
Left Hood: 16th May 1929







Biographical Information: Albert was born in Woolwich, West Kent – a Kentish Man. He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class at new entry training establishment HMS Ganges on 30 January 1923, at the age of 15 and a half. His first sea draft was a long one – two and a half years in the battleship HMS Resolution, during which he was advanced twice, first to Ordinary Seaman and then to Able Seaman. Following a couple of shore drafts, he joined Hood on the first day of 1929, remaining until May that year. A career sailor, following a number of other drafts Albert left the RN at the end of his engagement the day before his 30th birthday, 21 June 1937. He immediately transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve. At the outbreak of the Second World War he was once again serving, now in Cape Town. Very sadly, he was one of 35 sailors who lost their lives in the sinking of the destroyer HMS Inglefield off the Anzio beachhead on 15 February 1944, the victim of a German guided glider bomb. He left a wife and three children.

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)