-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


Patrick Joseph McQuaid

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Date of birth: 29th March 1893
Place of birth: Glenavy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Previous occupation: Wine and Spirit Merchant
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Petty Officer
Service Number: J.3636
Joined Hood First time: 15th April 1920 (Leading Seaman)
Left Hood First time: 13th June 1922 (Leading Seaman)
Joined Hood Second time: 28th August 1928 (Petty Officer)
Left Hood Second time: 16th May 1929 (Petty Officer)





Biographical Information: Patrick Joseph McQuaid was born in Glenavy, County Antrim, on 29th March 1893, and joined the Royal Navy on 18th March 1909, as a Boy, Second Class. This was just before his 16th birthday, so it is intriguing that his service records suggest that he was a Wine and Spirit Merchant in civilian life! Rated Ordinary Seaman on his 18th birthday, as was the norm, Patrick made good progress in his chosen career, subsequently earning advancement to Able Seaman on 4th June 1912, when just 19 years of age, and to Leading Seaman on 2nd November 1917, at the age of 24.

Patrick served in HMS Hood twice: first from 1920 to 1922 as a Leading Seaman and later, as a Petty Officer, from 1928 to 1929. In his second Hood draft, relatively brief though it was, he had charge of the ship's boxing team, which won the 1929 Atlantic Fleet Cup. Much of the credit must go to Patrick for his coaching skills helping secure this win, because he repeated it the following year with a different team in a different ship! (HMS Tiger.) The silver cigarette case he received for the 1929 victory is pictured below.

Patrick McQuaid was discharged to pension as a Petty Officer at the end of the usual 22 years' 'Man's Time', on 28th March 1933. However, he returned to service immediately before the onset of the Second World War, and remained in the Royal Navy, in shore drafts, right through until the end of the European War in mid 1945.



Additional Photos



Silver plated cigarette case presented to Petty Officer Patrick McQuaid, coach of the successful 1929 HMS Hood boxing team.




HMS Hood in dry dock. The ship is still in commission, as indicated by the Rear Admiral's flag flying at the foremast. Photo from the McQuaid family collection.




HMS Hood after snow.



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)
Alastair McQuaid, grandson, photos and biographical information 2021.
Service Record: ADM/363/256(Ancestry)