Captain William Sinclair SHEWAN

  In memory of  TR Thompson Master William Sinclair SHEWAN.  The image shows the WW1 Memorial Plaque with the Mercantile Marine War Medal (L) and the British War Medal (R). 

This image of the framed Memorial was provided by the Great Grandson of William S SHEWAN.

Johannes LOHS ~ Grave

An early post on this blog (16/5/2004) states LOHS is buried Vlissingen, Holland. Some further enquiry shows that Vlissingen was NOT his FINAL resting place.

I recently received the following information from Mr A Meerman, the Town Archivist for Vlissingen:-

In 1918 Johannes LOHS, in German records registered as Johannes Oswald LOSZ, commander of the German submarine U.B. 57, was buried inVlissingen in 1918.

From the same submarine were buried in Vlissingen, Julius Eduard Hans Luis SCHEELE and Friedrich Karl Wilhelm BLUMENBERG.

During the Second World War the Germans moved their graves to the new cemetary in Vlissingen to be joined with the German soldiers who died during WW2.

In 1949 all German soldiers, buried in Vlissingen were moved to the German Cemetary in Ysselsteyn in the Dutch province of Limburg. The address is: German War Cemetary, Ysselsteyn , Timmermannsweg , AM Ysselsteyn.

I am indebted to Mr Meerman for this information.

Click Here to view general images of the German War Cemetary

The military cemetery can be found in Ysselsteyn, Netherlands, in the Province of Limburg close to the German border. The cemetery is the only German military cemetery in the whole Netherlands. 85 killed soldiers from the First World War and almost 32.000 from the Second World War are buried here on a territory of 28 hectares. For each killed soldier one cross has been placed. The data (name, grave location, dates of birth and death, rank - if known) have been written on the crosses with white colour.

My command of the German language is negligible but the German War Graves Commission has a record of LOHS which states :-

Johannes Lohs ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Ysselsteyn (Niederlande) .Endgrablage: Block C Grab 70

I take this to mean his memorial is in Block C , Grave 70 of the Ysselteyn Cemetary.

Click here to view the record (in German)

Leslie Francis Jack ~ Memorial

In Loving Memory Andrew Jack , Master Mariner , drowned in the wreck of S.S. George Royle on Sheringham Shoal. Jan 18 1915 , Aged 45 Years. Faithful to Duty.

Leslie Francis son of the above drowned off Beachy Head through ????????????? Aged 16 Years.

[From Mr Norman Jack]

Thomas Roe Thompson ~ Final Resting Place

A picture of St Dochdwy's Church in Penarth, the final resting place of Thomas Roe Thompson , shareholder in the SS T R Thompson and likely to be the person that the ship is named after.

Thompson One Name Study

The TRT Project blog posting of May 31st 2004 (see archives) refers to work undertaken by Michael Thompson the great great great grandson of Matthew Thompson who was born in 1816 and died in 1864.

The Thompson One Name Study is now available HERE!

Plenty of useful information on the link, such as:-

Thomas Roe Thompson was born on 6 February 1846 in Sunderland and died on 13 April 1919 of senile decay. He married Mary Elizabeth Evans who died 25 May 1906. Both are buried at St Dochdwy's, Llandough, Penarth. He was High Sheriff of Glamorgan in 1899 and was a Justice of the Peace as well as a Ship Owner

Home:
1881: 3 church Road, Penarth
1919: 123 Stanwell Road Penarth (Click Here to Google Map View)

Family details:-
His father: was Matthew Thompson went to Cardiff from Sunderland in 1856 and set up business as a shipbroker.

His wife was Mary Elizabeth Evans. (b.circa 1846. d 25/5/1906)

Children were :-
Florence Dorbon Thompson, b. circa
Amy Thompson,
Lavinia Thompson, b, circa 1869
Emily Thompson, b. circa 1871
Gwendoline Mary Thompson, b. circa 1873
Bertha Thompson, b. circa 1876
Thomas (Tom) Roe Thompson, b.circa 1878, m. 24/9/1908 Dorethea Hancock (b.11/11/1879) their son was Graeme Thomas Roe (b. 31.8.1909 d. 21.10.68). Graeme Thomas Roe married Dora Bridget Gladstone (b.31 Aug 1907 d.11 July 1993) on 16/7/1932
Dorothy Thompson , b circa 1880

Memorial to Crew Member Freddie Howells

Good research by Andy N has unearthed another memorial to a T R Thompson crew member. Way back on the blog archive (June 2004) a post lists all the crew names, one such member is listed as Frederick Howells. Well frederick is Freddie and there is a brass plaque in the Memorial Hall, West Street, Newport , Pembrokeshire that commemorates Freddie. Freddie, born in Newport, was 28 years old when he lost his life.

In the right hand column of names shown in the photo , Freddie (listed under Seaman) is the fourth named.

Well done Andy.

Chris-P

Inscription on the Head stone - Fireman S Ali

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission have kindly provided a translation of the inscriptions on the head stone to Fireman Ali's grave :-

Top :
“IN THE NAME OF ALMIGHTY ALLAH MOST KIND (OR BENEFICENT) MOST MERCIFUL”.

Below:
“WE BELONG TO THE ALMIGHTLY ALLAH AND WE HAVE TO RETURN TO HIM”.

Grateful thanks to the CWGC for their assitance . The CWGC also confirm that it is their belief that Ali's grave is the only known grave for those who lost their life in the sinking of the TRT.

Chris-P

T R T ~ Memorials : Fireman S ALI ~ Inscription

A close up of the inscription on the grave stone of Fireman S Ali. I hope that we will be able to get it translated in due course.

T R T ~ Memorials : Grave of Fireman S. ALI

As far as this project research is concerned, the grave of Fireman S Ali a member of the T R Thompson crew is the first grave to be located. As far as I can establish at this time Ali's grave is the only known grave for a victim of the sinking of the T R Thompson. The grave is situated in St James' Cemetery, Old Charlton Road, Dover, Kent.

T R T ~ Memorials : Portsmouth Naval Memorial

On 10th June 2004 I posted a list of locations for T R Thompson memorials with a view to getting them photographed. With this posting is the Portsmouth Naval Memorial which is a huge monument with many thousdnads of names inscribed upon it. Sadly I was unable to find a reference to the T R Thompson or her crew but I presume it must be there - perhaps some more enquiries to locate the inscription.

The Portsmouth Naval Memorial

Seaman, Charles Gowan CRAIG, Royal Naval Reserve. Age 22. Son of Joseph and Isabella Dalgetty Craig, of 3, Craig's Close, Gourdon, Montrose and Signalman George SIMPSON , Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, two members of the T R Thompson crew are commemorated at the Portsmouth Naval Museum.

A plague at the Memorial records:-

"This memorial commemorates officers ranks and ratings of this Port who died at sea during the wars 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. Actions in which they fought are recorded in the registers and on the memorial itself Similar memorials at Plymouth and Chatham commemorate men and women of those manning ports while merchant seamen who died from enemy action and have no grave but the sea are commemorated in Liverpool and at Tower Hill in London...."

Source: http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/southsea/naval.htm

Memorial at Barry

This image is of one of the brass plaques on the memorial - it shows the names of Eveleigh and Davies.

The Memorial at Barry

This photo shows the Memorial for Merchant Seamen lost from the town of Barry.

Dover (St James's) Cemetery, Kent

An image of the Kent cemetary which is the final restingplace for Fireman S ALI, of the Indian Merchant Service. A casualty ofthe sinking of the T R Thompson. Chris-P

Crew Memorials at Barry & Tower Hill

I have a confirmation that the names of the following crew:

DAVIES, JOSHUA SIMEON

EVELEIGH, ALEXANDER DAVID

both from Barry in South Wales are commorated on the Merchant Navy Memorial in Barry as well as at Tower Hill Memorial in London. I'll be getting photo confirmation of this shortly.

I know that the name "Eveleigh" is well-known locally, so we may be able to get more information from surviving family members. "Davies" could be slightly more problematic, seeing as every 8th person in Wales is either Davis or Davies!

Apprentice Sylvetser Cowell~ A crewman who died

Apprentice S. Cowell

FIRST NAMES: Sylvester

UNIT: Merchant Navy

NUMBER: 106417

STATUS: Killed in Action

DATE OF DEATH: 29th March 1918

CEMETERY OR MEMORIAL: Tower Hill Memorial, London

AGE: 17 or 18


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Sylvester Cowell was born in Northallerton and was educated at Northallerton Grammar School, having won a North Riding County Council Scholarship to do so. He lived with Mr & Mrs W Hunton, at Brompton, while he was at school, after which he joined the Merchant Navy. Sadly, William Hunton was also destined to die of wounds received during the Battle of the Somme and his name is recorded on the Brompton Memorial.

He was killed when his ship, the S.S. T.R. Thompson was torpedoed, without warning, on Good Friday 1918, with the loss of 33 lives including that of the Captain. The S.S. T.R. Thompson was a merchant vessel of 3538 tons, registered in Sunderland, though it did carry a gun for defensive purposes. The ship was approximately 7 miles South of Newhaven when it was attacked and sunk.

Sylvester has no known grave but the sea and he is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which is dedicated to all those officers and men who were killed while serving with the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and who have no known grave. The memorial is situated next to the Tower Hill Underground station.

He was either 17 or 18 when he was killed, the former being his age according to the Register Of Shipping and Seamen and the latter that recorded in the register of the Tower Hill Memorial.

T R Thompson ~ Memorials

Memorials to the casulaties of the T R Thompson include:-

The Bombay 1914-1918 Memorial

The Dover (St James's) Cemetery , Kent

The Plymoth Naval Memorial, Devon

The Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire

The Tower Hill Memorial, London

Photographs of the Memorials are now sought!

Chris-P