Albert William Hawton, Electrical Artificer 1st class (P/M 36647), was born on July 25th, 1905, in Portsmouth. He was the son of Alfred Hawton, a brush-maker, and his wife, Mary, née Cooper. He married Muriel Richards in Portsmouth in 1930 and the couple had two children.
He signed on for a twelve year engagement starting on July 25th, 1925. He served on HMS Hood from 1936 to 1939, and joined HMS Dunedin on July 12th, 1939. He was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1938.