-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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Wilfred Thomas Creed

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Date of birth: 16th June 1908
Place of birth: Ogmore Vale, Glamorgan, Wales
Previous occupation: Colliery boy
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Service Number: J109608
Joined Hood: 5th January 1925
Left Hood: 4th January 1927







Biographical Information: Wilfred Thomas Creed joined the Royal Navy at HMS Impregnable on 7th Feb 1924 as a Boy Second Class, at the age of 15. It is likely that he would already have experienced hard labour by then, having been a colliery boy in his native Welsh valley. When Wilfred joined HMS Hood, his first ship, eleven months later he had advanced to Boy First Class. He remained on board for exactly two years, and, having attained the age of 18 by then, left the ship as an Ordinary Seaman.

Wilfred carved out a career in the Royal Navy, advancing to the rate of Able Seaman and specialising in gunnery, but elected to leave the Service the day before his thirtieth birthday, at the end of 12 years' 'man's time' over the age of 18.

He rejoined the RN in 1939, with World War II looming, and served in a number of short drafts, ashore and afloat, before being discharged finally from the RN on invalidity grounds on 7 October 1941.

Wilfred and his wife Ruby had five daughters, but after the breakup of their marriage Wilfred brough up his daughters on his own, with the help of his eldest daughter, June.

After his RN time, Wilfred lived on the Isla of Portland, Dorset, and worked in Portland dockyard as a boiler man.

His death was recorded in Weymouth in 1993.


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)