Dundas, William John “Bill”.

- Nationality.

Scottish.

- Ranking.

A Scottish officer in the Royal Navy who served with distinction during the Second World War, most notably as one of only three survivors from the sinking of the battlecruiser HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait on 24 May 1941.

- Born.

09-09-1923 at Walker Street, Edinburgh, Scotland.

- Died.

02-11-1965 at the age of 42, from injuries sustained in a road accident near Alexandria, Scotland, while driving to a business meeting related to his mink farming. He passed away at Vale of Leven Hospital.

- Buried,

At the Warriston Cemetery, Edinburgh, 79 Easter Warriston, Edinburgh EH7 4QY, United Kingdom.

navy

Dundas, William John “Bill”, born on 09-09-1923 at Walker Street, Edinburgh, the son of David John Wauchope Dundas and Winifred Hersey, born MacKenzie. He had at least one sibling, sister Hersey Mai Dundas (1926–2014). His early years were spent in Midlothian and Perthshire, including a period in East Lothian at Belhaven Hill Prep School, Dunbar. He married Sylvia Booker, daughter of Edgar Booker, on 26-04-1947. The couple had three children: daughter Sarah (born 1948), daughter Jeannie (born 1952), and son David (born 1958). The family resided in various locations, including Hampshire and Northern Ireland during Dundas’s naval career, and later settled on the shores of Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland, where they enjoyed sailing.

In 1937, aged 14, Dundas entered Royal Naval College, Dartmouth where he remained until 1940, having completed his passing out examinations in December of that year. At the age of 17, he joined the Royal Navy on 01-01-1941 and was posted to HMS Hood in Scapa Flow on 04-01-1941 serving as Midshipman.

HMS Hood with commander Captain Ralph Kerr, CBE was at that time operating in the area as a convoy escort and later as a defence against a potential German invasion fleet. Five months after Bill joined HMS Hood the ship was ordered with HMS Prince of Wales amongst others to intercept the German ships Bismarck, with commander Kapitän zur See Ernst Lindemann and Prinz Eugen with commander Kapitän zur See Helmuth Brinkmann before they could attack Atlantic convoys. Brinkmann survived the war and died 26-09-1983, age 88 in Diessen am Ammersee.

The Battle of Denmark Strait which ensued and resulted in the loss of HMS Hood with all hands bar three is very well documented here and elsewhere, but the narratives on this web site of the survivors Robert “Bob” Tilburn and Albert Edward Pryk “Ted” Briggs, are a poignant reminder of the experience of three very brave seamen for which they were all Mentioned in Despatches for mastery, determination and skill in action against the German Battleship Bismarck. Bill Dundas never spoke of his experience either in private or in public.In February 1960, the three survivors of Hood attended the premiere of the film “Sink the Bismarck” at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London. Below are two photos from that event. This is believed to have been the last time the three were together in the same place/at the same time.

Following his rescue, Dundas continued a varied naval career spanning submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. His wartime postings included service aboard HMS Neptune, HMS Kingston, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and submarines such as HMS Porpoise and HMS Telemachus in the Eastern Fleet and Pacific theater, where he contributed to anti-submarine and convoy protection operations. In the postwar era, he commanded vessels like HMS Wiay during the 1953 Coronation Review of the Fleet and served in roles involving fleet maintenance and reserve forces until his retirement around 1958. Despite his experiences, Dundas rarely discussed the Hood sinking publicly or privately, attending the 1960 premiere of the film Sink the Bismarck! with his fellow survivors as one of his few engagements related to the event. After leaving the navy, Dundas married Sylvia Booker, a former WRNS/ Women’s Royal Naval Service member, in 1947.

Death and burial ground of Dundas, William John “Bill”.

Bill pursued a successful civilian venture by establishing and operating mink farms in Argyll and near Stirling at Ochtertyre. Tragically, Dundas died 02-11-1965 at the age of 42, from injuries sustained in a road accident near Alexandria, Scotland, while driving to a business meeting related to his mink farming. Bill passed away at Vale of Leven Hospital. His legacy endures as a symbol of resilience among the Hood’s crew, commemorated in naval histories and memorials dedicated to the ship’s fallen.

William John “Bill” Dundas is buried at the Warriston Cemetery, Edinburgh, 79 Easter Warriston, Edinburgh EH7 4QY, United Kingdom.