Very Rare & Poignant HMS Hood Sweetheart Brooch in 18ct Gold & Enamel c.1930

Very rare and poignant HMS Hood Sweetheart (circa 1930) brooch in 18ct gold and enamel, of English origin and constructed from 18ct yellow gold with painted enamel highlights. The brooch is of standard bar-back form, complete with safety chain and pin fastening, designed as an additional layer of security in case the main clasp disengaged and the piece was at risk of being lost. The brooch is designed in the form of the official heraldic crest used to represent HMS Hood, a Cornish crow holding an anchor in one claw. The heraldic torse is also indicated with three enamel lines alternating with gold panels and the motto of the vessel, Steady, and the name of the ship is also emblazoned on the piece. This brooch was designed as a sweetheart jewel-a piece commissioned by a serviceman and given to his wife or girlfriend at home as a keepsake and a reminder of the absent loved one. There is a great tradition of sweetheart jewellery dating back centuries and in the 20th century such pieces were commissioned by members of all of the armed forces in England and elsewhere. Few of these pieces have links to such famous and tragic vessels as Hood, however, making this piece all the more interesting. The maker of the piece is unknown, the signed case being a later addition and not original to the piece. Given the style of the safety chain, it probably dates to around about 1930 or so and, given that Hood was destroyed in tragic fashion in 1941, it is possible that the gentleman who commissioned this piece did not return home to see his sweetheart. One of a series of battleships commissioned in 1918 and built on Clydebank, HMS Hood has been described as “the best loved” of British battleships in the inter-war period. In 1941 she was involved alongside HMS Prince of Wales in the search for the German battleship Bismark. During this action, Hood was hit by a number of shells fired by her German adversary and sunk with the loss of all but 3 of the crew of some 1418 men. If the present brooch had been presented by a serving crew member who took part in that action, therefore, it is virtually certain that the commissioner of the jewel was lost that day. The brooch serves as a poignant reminder of the human tragedy associated with war and the fact that the greatest horrors are endured by those left behind to remember, rather than those brave men and women who serve.