-H.M.S. Hood Crew Information-
H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour
Memorials to Men Lost in the sinking

In Remembrance of
Henry Burgess, B.E.M.

Henry was born on 11th December 1897 in Carlisle, Cumberland to William and Mary Burgess.

He originally joined the Navy as a rating (his service number was M35479). He was later commissioned as an officer.

He joined the Royal Navy on 12th May 1920 as an Ordnance Artificer - a role which had responsibility for maintaning and ensuring the smooth and trouble free working of the ship's guns. His initial training was at the Royal Navy's gunnery school, H.M.S Excellent at Whale Island, Portsmouth. Following a 15 momth course, Henry was drafted to his first ship, the battleship, H.M.S Barham as an Acting Ordnance Artificer 4th Class. In November of 1921 his rate was made substantive and he remained in Barham until July 1924 when he returned to Excellent for further training.

His second period of training lasted for 18 months - an indication of the level of skill that was required to perform the duties for which he was resopnsible.

After a short spell in the Naval Barracks at portsmouth, Henry was drafted to a destroyer serving firstly in the Mediterranean then on the China Station. It would be July 1928 before he returned to the U.K.

A further 15 months of training at H.M.S Excellent prepared him for advancement to Chief Ordnance Artificer, 2nd Class. He was drafted to the battleship, H.M.S. Nelson in January 1930 - initially in his substantive rate as Ordnance Artificer 2nd Class. Three months later he came the opprtunity to test his new skills as he was rated Acting Chief Ordnance Artificer 2nd Class. Twelve months later this was made substantive.

Leaving Nelson in August 1932, Henry returned to H.M.S. Excellent beore joining the battleship Royal Sovereign in September 1935. He would serve in her for two years before returning ashore for a year at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

It would be Henry's final period of serice ashore as, in September 1936, he was drafted to H.M.S. Hood as a Chief Ordnance Artificer 1st Class - a rate to which he had advanced whilst at Greenwich. Hood would be his home for the next six years until her destruction in May 1941. He was one of two Chief Ordnance Artificers leading a team of nine and himself under a Warrant Ordnance Officer. As such he was a key member of Hood's crew and would have been known to any of the officers and ratings whose duries included operating the ship's armament. Just before Hood was lost, came a final recognition as, on 14th May, Henry was promoted to Acting Warrant Ordnance Officer. This placed him as the head of the team of of 11 Ordnance Officers carried by Hood.

Henry was the husband of Grace Burgess, of Carlisle, Cumberland. Together, they had two children, James and Joyce. Henry, who had been awarded the British Empire Medal in the 1941 New Year's Honours, was 43 years old at the time of his loss.

Additional Photos

Henry and Grace

Henry aboard Hood

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H.M.S. Excellent Roll of Honour, Whale Island, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Photos of the memorial

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Hood Chapel, Church of St. John the Baptist, Boldre, Hampshire, England

Photos of the memorial

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Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea, Hampshire, England

Photos of the memorial



The part of the memorial in which the Hood casualty names can be found.
(Panels 45 to 61)





Henry's name is in Column 1 of Panel 46.





Detail of Henry's name.

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