-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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Walter Edgar Rea

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Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Chaplain
Joined Hood: 1936 (Chaplain)
Left Hood: 1938 (Chaplain)











Biographical Information: Walter Edgar Rea served in H.M.S. Hood between September 1936 and November 1938. He appears to have made quite an impression: he is mentioned a number of times in the definitive book on Hood, 'The Battlecruiser HMS Hood' by Bruce Taylor.

In part, he may be well-remembered as Hood's chaplain because he wrote a book about his experiences - 'A Curate's Egg'.


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)
Navy List July 1937.
Multiple references in the definitive 'Hood' book: 'The Battlecruiser HMS HOOD' by Bruce Taylor.