-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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Ronald Ian Agnew

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Date of birth: 6th July 1895.
Place of birth: Ontario, Toronto, Canada
Service: Royal Canadian Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Service Number: O-1290
Joined Hood: 1924 (Lieutenant)
Left Hood: 1925 (Lieutenant Commander)








Biographical Information: Ronald Agnew entered the Royal Canadian Navy as a Cadet with seniority 1st January 1911. He joined HMS Hood in 1924 as a senior lieutenant, appointed as the ship's assistant navigating officer. His Hood appointment lasted for about one year. Ronald Agnew went on to have a very successful naval career, including command of the escort aircraft carrier HMS Atheling during World War II.

Sadly, Ronald Agnew died 'in harness', at the early age of just 53, on 22nd March 1949 when serving as as Senior Canadian Liaison Officer, London. He was buried at sea from HMS Finisterre.

A summary of his naval career is as follows.

Naval Cadet RCN (seniority 1 January 1911) Royal Naval College of Canada (First Term) 1911 Midshipman RCN (seniority 15 January 1913) HMCS Niobe 1914 NHQ 1914 HMCS Diana (for NHQ) 1915 HMCS Margaret 1915 HMCS Canada 1915 HMCS Grilse as First Lieutenant 1915 Acting Sub-Lieutenant RCN (seniority 26 November 1915) HMCS Niobe HMS Drake 1916 Sub-Lieutenant RCN (appointed 2 December 1916 with seniority 1 December 1915) HMS Manners 1916 Acting Lieutenant RCN (seniority 15 February 1917) HMS Princess Royal 1917 Lieutenant RCN (seniority 15 July 1917) HMS Pegasus for North Russia Relief Force (Bolshevik Revolution) 1919 HMS President 1919 HMS Dryad for Royal Navy Navigation Course and Royal Naval College 1920 HMCS Patriot as First Lieutenant and Navigating Officer 1920 HMCS Aurora as Navigating Officer 1920 HMCS Guelph (for NHQ) 1921 NHQ as District Intelligence Officer 1923 Flag Lieutenant to Director Naval Service at Imperial Conference 1923 HMS Repulse as Assistant Navigating Officer 1924 HMS Hood as Assistant Navigating Officer 1924 Lieutenant-Commander RCN (seniority 15 March 1925) HMS Dryad for training 1925 HMS Weymouth as Navigating Officer 1925 HMS Champion 1926 HMCS Patrician in command 1926 HMCS Vancouver in command 1928 Commander RCN (seniority 1 January 1930) Royal Naval Staff Course 1930 HMS Renown as Staff Officer (Operations) 1931 HMCS Naden as Commander and Senior Naval Officer Esquimalt 1931 NHQ as Naval Staff Officer 1932 HMCS Saguenay in command and as Commander (D) Eastern Division 1934 Acting Captain RCN (seniority 18 January 1935) Captain (D) Canadian Division 1935 HonouraryAdC to Governor General 1936 HMCS Stadacona as Commander RCN Barracks Halifax 1936 HMCS Naden as Commander-in-Charge of RCN Barracks Esquimalt 1938 HMCS Prince Henry in command 1940 Captain RCN (seniority 1 July 1941) Captain Commanding Canadian Ships and Establishments in UK Waters for Administrative Control (HMCS Niobe) 1942 HMS Atheling in command 1943 HMCS Naden in temporary command 1945 Acting Commodore RCN WHA (seniority 15 March 1946) Naval Member Canadian Joint Staff Washington DC 1946 Commodore (seniority 1 July 1947) Senior Canadian Liaison Officer London and Commanding Officer HMCS Niobe 1947 Died 22 March 1949.


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)
Canada's Admirals and Commodores by Norman H Jolin and John M MacFarlane 3rd Edition, Revised and Updated (per Chris Varley, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.)