Alexander Hood (British Army officer, born 1888)

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant-General

| name = Sir Alexander Hood

| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GBE|KCB|KCVO|FRCP|FRCSE}}

| image = THE DGAMS WITH 21 ARMY GROUP B11932 (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Lieutenant-General Hood in 1944

| office = Governor of Bermuda

| monarch = George VI
Elizabeth II

| termstart = 1949

| termend = 26 April 1955

| predecessor = William Addis

| successor = John Woodall

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1888|09|25}}

| birth_place = Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1980|09|11|1888|09|25}}

| death_place = Bermuda

| nationality = {{flag|United Kingdom|name=British}}

| education = George Watson's College

| alma_mater = University of Edinburgh

| other_names =

| occupation = {{Plainlist|

}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Lady Evelyn Dulcia Hood|1918|October 1955|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Helen Winifred Wilkinson|October 1955}}

| children = 3

| module = {{Infobox military person

| embed = yes

| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| branch = {{army|United Kingdom}}

| serviceyears =

| rank =

| commands =

| unit = Royal Army Medical Corps

| battles = {{tree list}}

| awards =

}}

Sir Alexander Hood (25 September 1888 – 11 September 1980) was a physician and British Army medical officer who served as the Director General of Army Medical Services from 1941 to 1948. He subsequently served as Governor of Bermuda from 1949 to 1955.

Early life

Hood was born in Leith, Edinburgh, and educated at George Watson's College.{{cite web|last=Bennett|first=John D.C.|title=Hood, Sir Alexander (1888–1980)|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/57375|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=19 October 2015|year=2004}} He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1910 and achieving his MD in 1931 for his research on dysentery.{{Cite book|last=Hood|first=Alexander|url=http://hdl.handle.net/1842/32436|title=On bacillary dysentery|year=1931|hdl=1842/32436 }} In 1918, Hood married Evelyn Dulcia Ellwood, with whom he had one son and two daughters.

Military career

After spending one year as the house surgeon in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Hood joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). He served in France and Belgium during the First World War, and then in India and Afghanistan shortly afterwards.{{cite web|last=JPB|title=Sir Alexander Hood|url=http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Details/2254|access-date=19 October 2015|year=2009}} He became a specialist in pathology, serving in Meerut and Bangalore and then as deputy assistant district pathologist for Madras region. Hood conducted research on cerebrospinal meningitis and pneumonic plague, and in 1929 he was appointed assistant district pathologist to Southern Command.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Hood was given the rank of colonel and made deputy director of medical services, Palestine. In 1941, he was promoted over several more senior figures to become Lieutenant-General Director General Army Medical Services.{{cite journal |last=AMacL|date=25 October 1980 |title=Lt-Gen Sir Alexander Hood, Kcb, Kcvo, Gbe, Dcl, LLd, Md, Frcp, Frcs, Frfpsglas|jstor=25441877|journal=British Medical Journal|volume=281|issue=6248|pages=1149}} As DGAMS, Hood was credited with supporting developments in Army Psychiatry, helping to provide forward surgery and reorganise field medical units, and organising a blood transfusion service.{{cite book |last=Dicks|first=Henry V.|date=1970|title=Fifty years of the Tavistock Clinic|location=London|publisher=Routledge & K. Paul|page=106}} By August, he was also honorary physician to George VI. He served for far longer as DGAMS than was usual. He also decreed that medical research conducted on soldiers should be solely for the purpose of preventing and curing disease and allaying injury. Hood had hoped to become the first head of combined medical service for Navy, Army and Air Force, but this did not happen.

Civil career

Hood worked for one year in the Ministry of Health. After this, he was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief Bermuda.{{cite news |author= |title=Gen. Hood Gets Bermuda Post|newspaper=The New York Times|location=USA|date=1 June 1949|pages=8}} As Governor, Hood oversaw the closure of the Bermuda Garrison in 1953 and also acted as host to Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, and Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Bermuda Conferences. The closure of the garrison was completed by 1 May 1953, but was very short-lived. However, a detachment of the Royal Welch Fusiliers was temporarily posted to Bermuda immediately after for the duration of the conference, planned for June, 1953. The conference was actually delayed until December, when the Prime Minister was convinced to reverse the closure of the garrison, resulting in 'A' Company, 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (1 DCLI) being posted to Prospect Camp in 1954.[https://sites.google.com/site/djkl157/home A Company, 1st Battalion, The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry: Prospect Garrison, Devonshire Bermuda: 1954 - 1957.] Hood's tenure in the role was extended twice.

Hood resigned effective 26 April 1955, with no explanation given.{{cite news |author= |title=Bermuda Governor Resigns|newspaper=The New York Times|location=USA|date=5 April 1955|pages=17}} A few months later, he was granted a divorce from Lady Evelyn Dulcia Hood and married Mrs Helen Winifred Wilkinson of Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, on the same day. The couple lived at Callan Glen, in Hamilton Parish.{{cite news |author= |title=Sir Alexander Hood Divorced|newspaper=The New York Times|location=USA|date=5 October 1955|pages=8}}

Other achievements

Hood enjoyed golf and was the RAMC champion. He won the Queen Victoria Jubilee Vase at St Andrews in 1953.

When Hood died in Bermuda on 11 September 1980, his service with the RAMC was commemorated by the naming in his honour of a lecture theatre in the training depot.

The National Portrait Gallery holds a number of photographic images of Hood, mostly by Walter Stoneman.{{cite web|url=http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp78808|title=Sir Alexander Hood|publisher=National Portrait Gallery|access-date=19 October 2015}}

Links

*[https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw108740/Sir-Alexander-Hood?LinkID=mp78808&role=sit&rNo=0 Portrait of Sir Alexander Hood] at the National Portrait Gallery

References

Bibliography

{{cite book| first=Nick| last=Smart| title=Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War| isbn=1844150496| year=2005| location=Barnesley| publisher=Pen & Sword}}