The Honourable Sir Horace Lambert Alexander Hood was a distinguished naval officer who, at the age of 33, was made Captain of his own ship. Horace was a local man as he and his family lived in East Sheen.

When war broke out in 1914, Horace was made Rear Admiral and given charge of three ships: HMS Indomitable, HMS Inflexible and HMS Invincible. Hood and his ships were involved in the Battle of Jutland on May 31 1916 in which the British navy sustain considerable losses.

Hood's timely arrival at the battle not only saved British light cruiser Chester, but also saved the British fleet from near destruction. His arrival confused the Germans as they believed he was the head of the entire British fleet and they fled back to the main body of their fleet. Unfortunately, Hood couldn't save his ships from the German fire and the HMS Invincible was sunk with only six of the 1,028 lives on board surviving. Hood was encouraging and supporting his men until the very end.

Horace's body was never recovered. After his death, Vice-Admiral Beatty said: "You should have seen him bring his squadron into action, it would have done your heart good, no one could have died a more glorious death." He was awarded a K. C. B (Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath) posthumously for his effort and sacrifice.

His name is commemorated on the Naval Memorial in Portsmouth along with all those sailors who lost their lives in WW1 and WW2.

Huge thanks to the Museum of Richmond for telling the story of Rear Admiral Hood's remarkable life.

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George Veale