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William Frederick HOOD
| Rank | Reg/Ser No | DOB | Enlisted | Discharge/Death | Board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieut | 805 | 20y9m | 18 Dec 1914 | 7 Nov 1915 | 4 |
Lieutenant William Frederick Hood (1894 - 1978)
William Frederick Hood was born in Toowoomba on 24 March 1894, the youngest child of William Walter and Mary Jane Hood. His mother died when he was only eight years old. His father acquired Huntingtower soon afterwards. William would have resided there with his father and at least six of his older sisters.
Family background
William's father William Walter Hood, was a Pastoralist in western Queensland like the Cameron and the Crombie Families whose sons are also listed on the Honour Boards. William’s father, was born at Berwickshire in Scotland, came to Australia with his parents in 1854 and was educated at Geelong Grammar School. He married Mary Jane Scales in 1868. After some years at Ararat in Victoria he was appointed General Manager of the Western Queensland Pastoral Company which owned several station properties, one of them Burenda where he and his family of six girls and five boys lived. Mr and Mrs Hood and family came to Brisbane in 1895.
William's father was the member for Warrego in the Legislative Assembly succeeding James Crombie and was afterwards a member of the Legislative Council. Mrs Mary Jane Hood died in 1902.
Mr William W. Hood acquired Huntingtower at Dudley Street, Annerley in 1905 and remained there with his children till his death in 1920. Mr W. W. Hood was director of several pastoral companies and manager for Birt and Co. Ltd, a firm which was connected with export, shipping and various branches of commerce. He was director of Queensland Trustees and Chairman of the Queensland Turf Club.
Hood Brothers began war service together
The names of William Frederick Hood and Edward Leslie Hood are together on the first honour board unveiled at Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on 10 October 1915. The brothers enrolled together to serve in the war, left Brisbane together on the same ship and served together at Gallipoli. Their ways parted after that. For different reasons both returned to Australia before the Great War was over.
Enlistment
Young men were encouraged to join citizen defence units before the war and William Hood had served in Infantry Area 9A for a period of 12 months before he enrolled in the AIF. On 18 December 1914 he answered questions on his attestation paper with his older brother at the Brisbane enlistment station.
He carried a letter signed by his father giving his permission:
“I agree to my son William Frederick Hood who is under age volunteering for enlistment in the light horse.”
He was 20 years and nine months old and six feet tall. Bill Hood was given regimental number 805 and after a few weeks at Enoggera Camp he boarded HMAT1 Itria at Pinkenba and embarked for active service abroad on 9 February 1915 with reinforcements for the 5th Light Horse Regiment. Leaving their horses in Egypt the troops landed on Gallipoli on 20 May. While serving at Chatham’s Post, the most southerly point of the Anzac sector, Private W. F. Hood was wounded. The casualty on 2 September was described as “bullet wound head”. It must have been a serious injury. Private Hood was transferred by hospital ships from Gallipoli to Lemnos Island to Malta and finally to Birmingham in England, spending a while in hospital at each place till he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital at Edgbaston on 8 October 1915.
He was discharged from the AIF in London on 7 November 1915 enabling him to be commissioned in the Royal Field Artillery, Special Reserve. The Royal Field Artillery provided artillery support for the British Army. The RAF with their depot in Woolwich consisted of over 100 field batteries. A battery, commanded by a major with a captain as 2nd in command, was divided into 2 or 3 sections each commanded by a lieutenant. William F. Hood was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant on probation in preparation for this role on 8 November 1915. The Royal Field Artillery was the largest arm of the artillery. It was responsible for the medium calibre guns and howitzers deployed close to the front line and was reasonably mobile.
It would appear Lieutenant Hood served with the Australian Infantry Force again from 5 October 1916 till 12 February 1917 with the 112th Howitzer Battery, 4th Division Artillery in France. A letter2 filed in Lieutenant Hood’s war service record indicates he was dismissed from the service on 14 June 1917 but no reason for his dismissal was given.
Post war
On his return to Australia he worked on Paradise Station. At St George’s Church, Aramac on Wednesday 23 April 1919 he married Ethel Mary Florence Weeks, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs H. P. Weeks of Toowoomba. The Bishop of Rockhampton, Rev. George Halford presided.
An examination of electoral rolls for the ensuing years shows William was occupied as a car proprietor, motor proprietor, motor driver while he and Ethel lived at Aramac for a short time and then Fern Street, Buranda. They retired to Scarborough in 1963 and later lived in Ewan Street, Margate.
Passing
Mrs Ethel Hood died in the year 1971 and William Hood had moved to Sandgate before his death in 1978.
Compiled by Noel E. Adsett, Brisbane, August 2016. Additions and images added by Miriam King 2023 ©
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