-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


Alexander James Collins

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Date of birth: 6th October 1905
Place of birth: Baldock, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
Previous occupation: Rubber worker
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Able Seaman
Service Number: J103617
Joined Hood: 31st August 1933. (Able Seaman)
Left Hood: 3rd May 1935. (Able Seaman)







Biographical Information: Alexander Collins entered the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class on the 23rd of August 1921, some six weeks before his sixteenth birthday. He married Florence Edith Scammell in Portsmouth Registry Office on 21 November 1934. On his marriage certificate, his place of residence is listed as HMS Hood.

Alexander's 22-year engagement would normally have expired on 5th October 1945 (the day before his 40th birthday) but the after-effects of World War II, which had only just ended, meant that he did not finally leave the Service until 5th January 1946.

Our photo shows Alexander in later life.



Additional Photos



Alexander Collins' Marriage Certificate, showing his address as 'HMS Hood'.



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)
Mr Gary Collins, grandson, initial information. Further information and photograph April 2024.