Hood excelled atice skating, and in the 1910s, he would compete inice dance competitions withEthel Muckelt. He was a founding player in the Manchester ice hockey team that was based at the Ice Palaceice rink in Derby Street,Cheetham. By 1927, he was a director of the Ice Palace and Taylor Brothers & Co., a steel manufacturing company with works atTrafford Park,Trafford, Manchester, and by 1928, he was vicepresident of the company. He had always maintained a good level of physical fitness, however, in late 1929, he was diagnosed withprogressive muscular atrophy and died ofpneumonia at a nursing home inWhalley Range, Manchester.
Hood was born on 13September 1876 atYork.[2] He was the third son of William Hood and Frances "Fanny" Horner,née Lockwood.[3] His father studied medicine atSt Bartholomew's, London, and after he qualified, he was appointed surgeon to theKoninklijke West-Indische Maildienst (KWIM, the "Royal West India Mail Service"). In 1863, he begangeneral practice in York and was medical officer to StMary's Hospital, York.[4] His mother was the only daughter of Joseph William Lockwood,[5] aveterinary surgeon practising at 21Castlegate, York,[6] the same street where William lived and held his practice.[7] They married on 1March 1870 atChrist Church,Harrogate.[5]
Hood's younger brother, Clifford, was educated at StMartin's school, Castlegate, before winning an open mathematicalscholarship toExeter School.[13] Around 1897, Clifford went to the United States to work on aranch, and 1901, emigrated to New Zealand with Hood's elder brother, Williford. The two brothers went on to run a farm inWhangara, before selling and moving to separate farms inToowoomba,Queensland, Australia.[14] On 10January 1912, Clifford married Mary Fraser, third daughter of Thomas Fraser, atPouawa,Gisborne, New Zealand.[15] Around 1920, the family moved back to Gisborne, to run a sheep farm owned by Mary.[14] On 1June 1924, Clifford killed himself due to concerns over the farm's financial position.[16]
Williford continued to farm atPittsworth inDarling Downs, Queensland, and married Fannie Filmer Ware, the second daughter ofArthur Ware, on 4June 1913 atSt Paul's Church,Maryborough, Queensland.[17] Williford died on 26March 1957 in Queensland.[18] Hood's elder sister, Amy Louise Bower, was born on 18June 1872 at Castlegate.[7] She was a medical doctor,[19] and on 27October 1898, she married a general practitioner, Alfred Waugh Metcalfe, atSt Mary's, Castlegate.[20] Alfred was medical officer for thedispensary in York and a member of theYork Medical Society.[21] She died on 12January 1954 atSouthmead Hospital after she fell and broke her thigh at the home of her daughter inAlveston, South Gloucestershire.[22][23]
Hood was first educated at StOlave's preparatory school inMarygate, York, before going toSt Peter's School, York, where his three brothers were educated.[24] He was a good all-round sportsperson,[24] and playedcricket andrugby union atwing three-quarter back for the school.[25][26] Outside of school, he would compete in one-mile novice bicycle races organised by the York Star Cycling Club at theYork Cricket Club.[27] Although not as academically gifted as his siblings, in December 1893, he passed theCollege of Preceptors examination at StMartin's school in the first division of third class.[28][29] On 6October 1894, he returned to St Peter's to play in anOld Boys rugby union match against a mixed school team. He scored atry and the Old Boys won by fourteen points to six.[26] In December of the same year, he played in a rugby union match against the school's first team. His brother, Noel,captained the Old Boys, and Hood played at wing three-quarter back.[30] At the time, Hood was playing for theYork rugby union second team.[31]
Hood played his first senior rugby union game on 3October 1896 for Hammersmith Rugby Union Club in the opening match of the season against Twickenham. The match was held atTwickenham and he played at wing three-quarter back. He scored two tries and Hammersmith won by six tries and fourgoals for thirty-eight points to nil.[34] In the following year, Hammersmith strengthened their side and began training several weeks before their first match.[35] He played in the opening match between Hammersmith andSaracens.[36] The match was held on 2October 1897 at Saracens' home ground in Park Road,Crouch End, North London, and he played at wing three‑quarter back for Hammersmith.[35] Hammersmith won by one goal with Hood close to scoring a try.[36]
Hood played his final game for Hammersmith in the last match of the 1897–98 season againstStreatham on 26March 1898. The game was played in ablizzard that hindered skilled play, and subsequently, Hammersmith lost by a try and goal to nil.[37][b] In the following season, he joinedRosslyn Park Rugby Football Club at wing three-quarter back. His first reported game was on 1October 1898 againstLennox Football Club at theLondon Athletic Club ground inStamford Bridge.[39] He played for Rosslyn Park until his final game on 4January 1902 againstOld Merchant Taylors' FC at theOld Deer Park inRichmond. Old Merchant Taylors won by three tries and two goals to nil.[40]
Claud Whittindale had been a member of theStade Français rugby union team in Paris since 1898,[46] before joining Aston Old Edwardians Rugby Club atPerry Barr, Birmingham, in 1900.[47] His elder brother, Karl,[44] also played for the club.[47] Some English language sources report that their younger brother, Raymond, was selected to play at theVélodrome de Vincennes (Vélodrome), Paris. However, it was Karl that was chosen to play at one of the four three-quarter back positions, along with Hood, Claud, andHerbert Nicol (another Aston Old Edwardian).[48][49] The team was named Moseley Wanderers but had no connection with theMoseley Rugby Club in Birmingham, although some current players at the club had been selected to play in the match.[50]
The team travelled overnight for the match at 3:00pm on Sunday 28October 1900,[41][51] after at least five team members had played for their clubs that day.[52] France scored six tries in the first half and two in the second withJoseph Wallis scoring Britain's only try.[52]Henry Birtles, Britain's captain,converted the goal kick and scored a penalty.[42]: 164 France won the game twenty-seven points to eight in front of a six thousand strong crowd at the Vélodrome.[42]: 163–164 [c] The French press reported that Britain seemed exhausted and lacked the ability to play safe but praisedHerbert Loveitt for his composure and skill on the ball. France, although skilled in attack, often failed to defend.Giroux andReichel were criticised for being clumsy, andRischmann, for failing to pass the ball.[53]
À leur tour les trois-quarts anglais sont partis, irrésistiblement eux aussi. Rischman et Giroux sont débordés, Pharamond évité par une passe. L'essai est fait! Non, car Gautier s'est élancé en un sprint foudroyant et il atteint L. Hood à 2 métres du but.
In turn, the English three-quarters on the left are irresistible. Rischman and Giroux are overwhelmed, Pharamond is bypassed. The try is complete! No, because Gautier sets off on a lightning sprint and reaches L. Hood 2 metres from the goal.
— Match report in theParis Exhibition of 1900 supplement that was published in the December 1900 volume of theChronique de la Jeunesse.
The rugby matches were organised as around-robin tournament where France, Germany, and Great Britain would play each other in turn. However, the Great Britain versus Germany match did not go ahead as planned on 21October 1900, as neither team was able to stay in Paris for the entire fifteen days of the competition.[42]: 161 France had beaten Germany on 14October 1900,[42]: 162 and consequently, France was awarded gold, and Germany and Britain were credited with silver.[42]: 164 In the Olympic regulations, it was stated that "in each match, the winning team will receive an art object; in addition, all players who took part in one of the matches will receive a souvenir."[52] The British team returned home straight after the match, and it is not known if Hood, or any of the team members, received a medal or souvenir.[49]
Ethel Muckelt was Hood's partner forice dance competitions and other social occasions during the 1910s
In 1903, Hood and his brothers, Noel and William, were elected to the membership of theYorkshire Ramblers' Club.[58] They retained a life-long interest inwinter sports andmountaineering, and in August 1905, they climbed the majority of the mountains in theBernese Alps, that included theWetterhorn,Jungfrau,Eiger, andFinsteraarhorn.[59] In 1906 and 1908 respectively, Noel and Hood were elected to theAlpine Club.[8][60] On 15February 1911, Hood competed in the Bott handicap on theCresta Run atSt. Moritz,Engadine, Switzerland.[61][24] The race was named after Arden Bott, who, in 1902, had refined theskeleton toboggan that was used in subsequent competitions.[62] The competition attracted fourteen starters and took place over three courses.Kempton Cannon won the competition, beating Hood by just 0.2seconds.[61]
Hood excelled atice skating,[24] and while staying in Engadine, would compete inice dance competitions. In February 1911, Hood and his dance partner, Dina Mancio, won an icewaltzing competition organised by the St. Moritz Skating Association at theKulm Hotel in St. Moritz. They beatEthel Muckelt and her dance partner,Henry Landau.[63] Mancio was a famed ice dancer who had won the Italian national cup many times with her dance partner Gino Voli.[64] Landau, a South African, was recruited at the beginning of World War I by theBritish secret service, now known as MI6, to be aspy handler in the Netherlands.[65]: 130 In the 1910s, Hood would partner with Muckelt for ice dance competitions and other social occasions.[66][67]
Hood was a founding member of the Manchesterice hockey team that was based at the Ice Palaceice rink in Derby Street,Cheetham.[68][69]Robert Noton Barclay, a formerLord Mayor of Manchester, was also an original member of the team. One of their first matches was against thePrince's club from Hammersmith, London. He showed excellent form but received a cut to his nose, and consequently, missed some of the game. Manchester lost by four goals to nil.[70] He would later become a director of the Ice Palace.[71]
Hood had a number run-ins with the law, including a fine in 1904 for "indecent bathing" in theRiver Wey atPyrford, Surrey,[72] and 1926 and 1927, fines for dangerous driving.[73] By 1927, he was a director of Taylor Brothers & Co.,[71] asteel manufacturing company with works atTrafford Park,Trafford, Manchester,[74] and by 1928, he was vicepresident of the company.[75] Later that year, Taylor Brothers was merged with theEnglish Steel Corporation.[76] In November 1931,[77] he resigned from the board of Darlington Forge, a heavy engineering company located at Albert Hill,Darlington, after it had gone into liquidation in 1930.[78] He was also a director of, amongst other companies, the Blake Boiler Wagon and Engineering Company,Dumplington Estates, Miners Silica Quarries,North Lonsdale Tar Macadam, and Roberts & Maginnis.[71]
Hood had always maintained a good level of physical fitness, however, in late 1929,[24] he was diagnosed withprogressive muscular atrophy (PMA).[79]: 663 He died ofhypostatic pneumonia on 23September 1932 at Doriscourt Nursing Home, Upper Chorlton Road,Whalley Range, Manchester.[79]: 663 The funeral service was held on 26September 1932 atManchester Crematorium and his ashes later scattered.[3][79]: 656 Formerly of Moss House, Trafford Park, he left an estate of £9,680 18s 3d, with net personalty £9,507 (equivalent to £833,600 in 2023).[80] He left Ethel Muckelt, his former ice dance partner, £208 per year (equivalent to £18,200 in 2023) for the remainder of her life.[79]: 661 An obituary appeared in the December 1932 issue ofThe Peterite, the magazine of his former school, and stated that "Hood was a very fine athlete and gymnast... other sports at which he excelled were wrestling and skating, at both of which he won many trophies."[24]
^"Sports Athlétiques" [Athletic Sports].Le Soleil (in French). No. 352. Paris. 8 December 1898. p. 2.OCLC1368667671.Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved18 September 2023 – via RetroNews.
^"Exposition Universelle de 1900" [Universal Exhibition of 1900].Chronique de la Jeunesse [Youth Chronicle] (in French). No. 1457. Paris:Librairie Hachette. December 1900. p. 24.OCLC763908906. Retrieved18 September 2023 – viaGallica.Second part containing a Paris Exhibition of 1900 supplement to the Youth Journal.
^abcThe Directory of Directors. Vol. 48. London: Thomas Skinner & Co. 1927. p. 771.OCLC219946009. Retrieved6 September 2023.A list of the directors of the joint stock companies of the United Kingdom.
^Sauveur, Albert, ed. (1928). "III. Listing of Manufacturers of Products pertaining to Mechanical Engineering".Engineers. Listing of the engineers of corporations with their official duties and connections. New York: Neo-Techni Research Corporation". p. 432.hdl:2027/mdp.39015020212380.OCLC3530348.
^"Darlington Forge Co".www.gracesguide.co.uk. Exeter: Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. 3 February 2020.Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved9 September 2023.
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