-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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George Andrew Charman

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Date of birth: 8th October 1915
Place of birth: Battle, Sussex, England
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Acting Petty Officer
Joined Hood: 1936? (Able Seaman)
Left Hood: 28th February 1941 (Acting Petty Officer)









Biographical Information: George Charman's service in Hood became known to us from the discovery of a contemporary newspaper cutting announcing his death in Hood's sinking - see below. In fact, Charman was not one of the casualties, because he had been drafted from the ship some weeks before - although he was not one of the final draftees - the so-called 'lucky thirteen.'

George Charman is believed to have served in Hood for around four and a half years, and his time on board was very successful: on 1st Nov 1937 he was advanced to Acting Leading Seaman; on 1st Nov 1938 to Leading Seaman; and on 1st March 1939 to Acting Petty Officer. He was very young to reach such a rank.

George married Freda Oughton on 9th Oct 1943 and they had four daughters.

George Andrew Charman died, aged 91, on 22nd March 2007 at his home in Portchester, near Portsmouth. He was survived by his wife Freda and their daughters.



Additional Photos



A contemporary local newspaper clipping which wrongly announces George Charman's death.




George Charman marries Freda Oughton on 9th October 1943 - the day after his 28th birthday.



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)
Newspaper clipping from Mrs Lesley Mann, wife of George's grandson, June 2022.