20th Century Portraits Catalogue

Born in London and joined the navy as a cadet at the age of twelve; he began his service in the Temeraire, of the Mediterranean squadron, from 1885 and was promoted to lieutenant by 1890; Hood spent another year at sea before returning ashore to study gunnery and to act as a staff officer; his first experience of action came in the Nile campaign in 1987, where he commanded a river gunboat; during the South African War he was promoted captain and led the force sent against the Dervishes in 1904; during the preliminaries of the battle of Jutland in May 1916, Hood and many of his squadron perished after their ship broke in half and sank during fighting with German battle cruisers.