William H.A. Hooker ("Bill")

Bill Hooker was listed as a sound engineer with Gaumont British from 1933 onwards. In about 1936 Hooker was featured in a Gaumont British publicity photograph, using his sound equipment next to a camera car. In 1945 Hooker was still listed as a sound engineer with Gaumont British News, and in October 1945 he worked with cameraman Eddie Edmonds [qv] to film ‘PREPARATIONS FOR THE SPEED RECORD BID’ in Gaumont British News No.1233. In March 1953 Hooker was sound engineer for cameraman H.J. Morley [qv] filming ‘RUGBY - ENGLAND V SCOTLAND’ for Gaumont British News No.2005, and in January 1954 he was again sound engineer for Morley on ‘RUGBY - ENGLAND DEFEAT WALES’ in No.2092. His final credit is for an untitled Pathe News story in Issue No.69/63 of August 1969.

Sources

Kine Year Book 1946 (1945), p.275: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 2302 (Morley and Hooker dopesheet, 21/3/1953), Number 2389 (Morley and Hooker dopesheet, 16/1/1954): NFTVA photograph: L. Pontecorvo ‘The British Newsreel Companies: Staffing 1910-1945,' in J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels’ (BUFVC, 1983), p.88: NoS Number 113682; Pathe News Number 69/63; Date released 3/8/1969.