-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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Henry Johnson

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Date of birth: 16th March 1901
Place of birth: Hessle, Hull, Yorkshire, England
Wife: Enid Bessie
Previous occupation: Clerk
Service: Royal Marines
Rank: Corporal
Service Number: 19148
Joined Hood: 19th November 1923 (Marine)
Left Hood: 7th January 1925 (Corporal)






Biographical Information: Henry Johnson, a Yorkshireman, enlisted in the Royal Marines Light Infantry (RMLI) at Plymouth on 16th October 1916, at the age of 15 years 7 months. He is believed to have come from a military family, with one brother in the Royal Marines and another in the Royal Welch Fusiliers in India. Initially, Henry appeared to have been destined to be a bugler, but this designation soon disappears from his service documents: he is described simply as 'Private'. In mid 1923, the RMLI was amalgamated with the Royal Marines Artillery (RMA) to become simply the Royal Marines, and Henry's rank designation changes from 'Private' to 'Marine'.

Henry joined HMS Hood late that same year, just in time to participate in the circumnavigation of the globe - the 'Empire Cruise' of 1923-4. On 29th August 1924, when Hood was in Quebec, Canada, Henry was promoted to Corporal. He left Hood on 7th January 1925.

Henry went on to complete a full pensionable engagement in the Royal Marines, earning successive promotions to Colour Sergeant and, finally, Temporary Sergeant Major. He left the Royal Marines on pensionable terms on 15th March 1940, while serving as in the Royal Marines Reserve Depot, Exmouth. He signed up again the very next day, for the duration of hostilities, and remained at RMRD for three more years. Henry Johnson finally left the Service on 14th September 1945, at the age of 44.


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)