HOOD, THE HONOURABLE HORACE LAMBERT,
Captain,
Royal Navy, was born at 20, South Street, Mayfair, London, 2 October 1870.
He was the second son of Francis Wheeler, Fourth Viscount Hood, and his
wife, Edith, daughter of Arthur Wood, of Calverley Park, Tunbridge Wells.
He came of an old Dorset family famous for its seamen and good fighters,
being fifth in descent from the illustrious Admiral Sir Samuel Hood
(afterwards Viscount Hood), who was second in command to Lord Rodney in his
great victory off Dominica in 1782, when he defeated the superior French
fleet commanded by the Comte de Grasse. Nelson said of this Lord Hood, who
was his sea daddy and precursor, that he was "England's best naval
commander". Viscount Bridport, who was this Lord Hood's brother, was second
in command to Lord Howe on "the glorious first of June" and blockaded Brest
from 1798. Lord Hood, on board the Zealous (a name since adopted for the
family motto), first sighted the French fleet in Aboukir Bay, and took part
in the Battle of the Nile. Another brother, Captain Alexander Hood, died in
the moment of victory aboard the Mars, in the famous duel with the French
ship Hercule. Admiral Horace Hood was thus not the first of his family to
be killed in action. Horace Hood was educated at Farnborough School until
he entered HMS Britannia. In 1883 he joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet at
the age of 13. He served in the Temeraire in 1885, and was a Midshipman in
HMS Calliope when the indomitable courage of her commander, Captain (later
Vice-Admiral) Kane, saved that cruiser from destruction in the terrible
hurricane in Samoa in March 1889, when the United States cruisers and other
vessels were driven ashore and were lost. In passing his examination for
Lieutenant he obtained five first-class certificates with 4,398 marks out of
a possible 4,600; this was the highest number of marks ever obtained by an
officer at this examination. He was awarded the Beaufort Testimonial, a
Goodenough Medal, and the Rider Memorial Prize. He was promoted Lieutenant
in 1890, and specialized in gunnery. In 1898 he served with the gunboat
flotilla employed during Kitchener's operations on the Nile, and was present
at the battles of the Atbara and Omdurman. He was mentioned in Despatches
by Sir Herbert Kitchener for his good service, and was promoted Commander.
He also received the Egyptian Medal and the Fourth Class of the Turkish
Order of the Medjidie. He was promoted Captain, RN, in 1903, and commanded
HMS Hyacinth on the East India Station. He was Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral
Atkinson Willes, and landed in command of a naval brigade which stormed and
captured on the 21st April 1904, the stronghold of Illig, in Somaliland, the
headquarters of the "Mad Mullah". Captain Hood's behaviour on that occasion
was thus described in a contemporary record: "Captain Hood, of HMS Hyacinth,
greatly distinguished himself in the close fighting which followed the
British charge. With sword in one hand and revolver in the other he entered
the caves from which the dervishes were firing and accounted for many of
them. A Corpl Flowers followed and despatched a dervish, who was in the act
of spearing Captain Hood from behind". For this exploit Captain Hood was
made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 0
September 1904]: "The Honourable Horace Lambert Hood, Captain, Royal Navy.
In recognition of services during the operations in Somaliland". He
received the General South African Medal with clasp. Captain Hood was
created a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in April 1904. As Captain of
HMS Berwick he formed part of the escort which accompanied His Majesty the
King to India. He was Naval Attache at Washington, USA, from October 1907
to November 1908. From October 1910 to January 1913, Captain Hood was in
command of the Royal Naval College, Osborne. He was created a CB on the
Coronation of King George, and for a short time before attaining flag rank
he was ADC to His Majesty (July 1911
to May 1913). He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral 17 May 1913,
being only 41 years of age. In June 1914, he was appointed Naval Secretary
to the First Lord of the Admiralty, a post which he held till October 1914,
when he took command of the Dover Patrol. For some months he was in charge
of this, with the flotilla of monitors and destroyers and other vessels
which kept the Straits clear of the enemy, and engaged the flank of the
German Army from the sea off the Belgian coast. He earned distinction also
in land fighting, and was mentioned for gallant and distinguished service in
the field by Field-Marshal Lord French in a Despatch dated 18 February 1915,
in connection with the part he took to prevent the Germans reaching the
Channel Ports. With the guns from his ship he smashed a large portion of
the German transport which was advancing by the coast road, and destroyed
the bridging material with which they had hoped to cross the Yser. The
delay which thus took place in the execution of the German plan had an
important bearing on the ultimate defeat of the enemy. On relinquishing
command of the Dover Patrol he took command of the Naval Patrol in Irish
waters, and held this appointment until he was transferred to the Grand
Fleet in command of the Third Battle Cruiser Squadron, HMS Invincible being
his flagship. On 31 May (the eve of the anniversary of Lord Howe's glorious
first of June in which Lord Bridport (a Hood) took such a leading part.) was
fought the Battle of Jutland. Rear-Admiral Hood was Second-in-Command of
the Battle Cruiser Fleet, but having been detached with his 3rd Battle
Cruiser Squadron, did not arrive on the scene of action till the afternoon,
when he was just ahead of the battleships under Admiral Jellicoe. In the
words of Admiral Beatty's Despatch: "Admiral Hood, without an instant's
hesitation, and in a manner that excited the highest admiration of all who
were privileged to witness it, placed his ships in line ahead of Admiral
Beatty's squadron. No admiral ever crowned an all too short career more
devotedly or in a manner more worthy of the name he bore". At first the 3rd
Battle Cruiser Squadron took up its station in advance of the ships under
Sir David Beatty, and at one time the Invincible closed to within short
range of the enemy's guns. It was here that the Invincible was sunk by a
purely chance explosion, only a quarter of an hour after she had come into
action. In that short time, however, the descendant of Nelson's tutor had
done deadly work. The leading ship of the enemy's line was shattered by
salvoes of the Invincible and driven out of action, in fact, before the
Grand Fleet came fully into action the van of the enemy was crumpled up, and
his line was so disordered that light cruisers engaged his battleships, and
the enemy never afterwards appeared as an organized force. With Admiral
Hood perished the whole of his crew except two officers and four men. He
was awarded posthumously the KCB, by Gazette dated 15 September 1916.
Admiral Beatty, writing to a friend, uses these words: "I have no regrets
except for the gallant comrades who have gone—who died gloriously. It would
have warmed your heart to see the gallant Hood leading his squadron into
action". The death of this heroic member of a famous family could scarcely
have taken place under more fitting circumstances, so well in keeping with
the splendid traditions of his great family. ''Zealous he was in life,
fearless in death". On the 19th January 1910, at Burlington, Iowa,
USA, he married Ellen, widow of George Nickerson, of Dedham, Massachusetts,
and daughter of A F Touzalin, of Boston, USA. Their sons were: Samuel, born
15 October 1910, and Alexander Lambert, born 11 March 1914.
