-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.

Ronald George Haddon

Ronald, it is clear, was drafted to Hood not once, but twice. On the first occasion, he served onboard for some eight months from April to December 1938. His second Hood draft occurred in spring 1941. Having served in the battleship HMS Revenge, he was drafted to Victory Barracks, in Portsmouth, in February that year. In April, his draft 'chit' came through - to HMS Hood. He left Victory barracks, 'on leave and draft' to Hood on 7 April 1941. It seems that the leave he had due saved his life, because he did not join Hood before her departure on her fateful last voyage on 22 May 1941. His family had understood that he was on leave when Hood sailed, and this would appear to be correct. His is one of the 25 names on a list of personnel who were, at first, believed to have been lost in Hood but who, it subsequently became clear, were 'Not on Board'. Fascinatingly, his service certificate (see photo below) lists the day he left Hood as 24th May 1941 - the day she was sunk. That service certificate has more to tell us: the uniformity of the writing - all Ronald's drafts in the same hendwriting - indicates clearly that it is a duplicate. The original document clearly preceded Ronald into Hood - and was lost in the sinking of the ship.

Ronald was discharged from the Royal Navy during the following year, on medical grounds.

After his Royal Navy service Ronald returned to his native Northamptonshire and worked as long distance lorry driver, transporting aeroplane engines. He married Mary Campbell, from the Hebridean island of Barra, and they had three sons together: George, Raymond and Barry. Ronald was a quiet man, not a great socialiser. He did not talk much about his Royal Navy time, but he insisted to his sons that they do their best to secure their futures by learning a trade.

Sadly, Mary died of cancer while still in her forties. Ronald outlived her by nearly two decades, and passed away in Kettering General Hospital in late 1980.

Additional Photos

Ronald Haddon's reconstructed Service Certificate

Documentation issued to Ronald in HMS Revenge

Ronald and Mary on their wedding day.

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