-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.

Chainbar divider


William Karslake Cornish-Bowden

Photo of
Date of birth: 16th November 1908
Place of birth: Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Paymaster Midshipman
Joined Hood: 15th September 1926 (Paymaster Cadet)
Left Hood: 9th April 1928 (Paymaster Midshipman)









Biographical Information: Canadian-born, William Cornish-Bowden joined the Supply branch of the Royal Navy and was appointed to Hood in September 1926, while still a Paymaster Cadet and therefore still under training. He was promoted to the rank of Paymaster Midshipman on 15th January 1927, while still serving in Hood

William remained in the Service through World War II, retiring on 7th March 1953 in the rank of Commander (Supply.) His younger brother, Edward, also served in the Royal Navy, and perished in the loss of the submarine H.M.S. Tetrarch in the Western Mediterranean on 2nd November 1941.

William Cornish-Bowden passed away in Totnes, Devon, on 15th September 1992.


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)
Unithistories.com per Anthony Willis, grandson. (Information and photo, January 2024.)