-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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Cornelius Whitaker

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Date of birth: 15th December 1900
Place of birth: Ecclesall, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Previous occupation: Blacksmith's assistant
Service: Royal Marines
Rank: Marine
Service Number: 20368 (later 22721)
Joined Hood: 29th August 1925 (Marine)
Left Hood: 27th August 1928 (Marine)







Biographical Information: Cornelius Whitaker was born in the Ecclesall district of Sheffield on 15th December 1900. He enlisted as a private soldier in the Royal Marines Light Infantry (RMLI) on 18th July 1918, just too late to join hostilities in the First World War. He joined the RMLI Plymouth Division, and his early drafts included service in the battleship HMS Valiant in 1921. In 1923, following the amalgamation of the RMLI and the Royal Marines Artillery into the Royal Marines, Cornelius was recategorised from 'Private' to 'Marine'.

Cornelius served in HMS Hood for a full three years, from 1925 to 1928. Shortly afterwards, he chose to move from Plymouth to Portsmouth RM Division, at which point his service number changed to 22721.

Interestingly, two entries were found for Cornelius in the R23 Register of Service, under his two different service numbers, the later of the two spelling his name 'Cornelious'.

Cornelius Whitaker was advanced to Temporary Corporal on 22nd December 1942, and was released from the Royal Marines, to pension, on 1st October 1945. Following his 27-year career in the Royal Marines, he was employed, until retirement, at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham.

Cornelius Whitaker's service documents record his date of death as 11th of January 1974.



Additional Photos



Passing out of basic training at RM Deal, 1918. Cornelius Whitaker back row, fifth from left.




Cornelius Whitaker after his marriage.




Cornelius with two sons, circa 1945.




Cornelius is introduced to the HM the Queen Mother at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, circa 1963.



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)
Barry Whittaker, son, February 2021. Information and photographs.
National Archives ADM 159/202/22721