James Chalmers Hood

To search our directory of workers at HM Factory Gretna either enter any name, place of birth or place of death in the search box or if you know what their job was from select from the drop-down menu.

Go back to directory.

Chemist

Birthplace Argyll and Bute Oban Scotland Date of Birth: January 19, 1895 Date of Death: May 20, 1957

Biography

Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by) : James Chalmers Hood

Gender: Male

Date and Place of Birth: Kinning Park, Glasgow 1896

Date and Place of Death: Perth, WA 20/05/1957

Nationality: Scottish

Biography

Childhood:

Parents: Alexander and Isabella (nee Chalmers) Hood

Parent’s occupations: Sail Maker (Father)

Schools / universities attended and years of attendance:

Perth Technical College, Western Australia

Occupation: Analytical Chemist

Place of residence at Gretna: N/K

Job title at Gretna: Chemist

Marital status: married Mabel Maud (nee Moyes) Hood 1922

Children: Bryce Ernest (b.1923), Colin Alexander (b.1925), Malcolm J (b.1932)

Travels: Australia and UK

Awards/recognitions: British Empire Medal

Trivia / any other information:

James Chalmers Hood

James Chalmers Hood was born in Glasgow in 1896. His family emigrated to Australia, where he trained as a chemist. He returned to the UK during the Great War and worked at HM Gretna. At the end of the War, he returned to Western Australia, where he married and raised a family and worked as a government chemist.

James was born in Kinning Park in Glasgow in 1896, the son of Alexander and Isabella Hood. Alexander was a sailmaker and the family moved to Oban where Alexander became the Harbour Master.

In 1911 the family is living in Holloway in London and James is a Laboratory Assistant. Alexander had sailed to Adelaide in March 1911. The rest of the family, James, his mother and two sisters followed, to Fremantle, in June the following year, to begin a new life Down Under (1).

James qualified as an analytical chemist at the Technical College in Perth. He doesn’t appear to have enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, but at some point, returns to the UK to work in munitions, at both HM Factory Gretna and also HM Factory Sutton Oak.

At the end of the War in May 1919, James returned to Australia. He had, presumably, met Mabel Moyes while living in Holloway before the War. In September 1922, Mabel sailed to Fremantle, and she and James were married that same year in Perth, where they made their home. They had three sons Bryce Ernest (b.1923), Colin Alexander (b.1925) and

Malcolm J (b.1932).

James worked for the Food, Drugs and Toxicology Section of the

Government Chemical Laboratories, first as a chemist, then Senior

Chemist, acting Supervising Chemist, Deputy Government Analyst from

1946, and finally Director of the laboratories from 1955.

James died on 20th May 1957 in Perth, Western Australia (2).