H.M.S. Pegasus
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Murray was born at Gateshead, County Durham, May 31st 1896, one of 7 children of whom only 5 survived, the eldest of 4 surviving brothers he had a younger sister. His parents William Murray of Gateshead born 1879 and Thomasina Sheldon Jopling born 1872 at Moorsley, near Hetton-le-Hole, both in County Durham, were married at Gateshead in 1895. They lived at 10, Waugh Street, Gateshead, to support his family William was employed as a wine and spirit cartman. Thomas and his siblings Gilbert 1899-1901, Eleanor 1903, John William 1905 and Joseph 1907 were all born at Gateshead, the youngest Robert was born in 1911 at 14, Clowes Terrace, Annfield Plain, William Murray worked at the colliery as a coal miner/shifter, the children with the exception of 2 month old Robert were scholars.
During WW1 Thomas Murray served as Ordinary Seaman J.70618 (Po) Royal Navy aboard the newly launched H.M.S. Pegasus. Pegasus was laid down in 1914 by John Brown & Company of Clydebank, Scotland as SS Stockholm for the Great Eastern Railway Company but her construction was suspended by the beginning of WW1. The ship was purchased and completed by the Royal Navy February 27th 1917 and launched June 9th 1917 as H.M.S. Pegasus replacing the Pegasus that was sunk September 1914 in the port of Zanzibar during a surprise attack by the Germans. Commissioned August 14th and completed August 28th 1917 she joined the Grand Fleet assigned to support the Battle Cruiser Force. She participated in a few operations in the North Sea but was mostly involved in pilot training and ferrying aircraft to ships with flying-off platforms.
Ordinary Seaman J.70618 Thomas Murray accidentally drowned September 19th 1917, his body could not be recovered for burial. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the names inscribed on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea Common, Portsmouth, Hampshire, commemorating 10,000 naval personnel of WW1 and 14,662 of WW2 who were lost or buried at sea where no permanent memorial could be raised. Ordinary Seaman Thomas Murray was 21 years of age and single.
His awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent to his parents at 17, Pontop Terrace, South Pontop, Annfield Plain, County Durham.
William Murray died in 1925 aged 55 years, his widow Thomasina Sheldon Murray nee Jopling aged 75 years in 1951, both registered in the district of Lanchester, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Murray is remembered at Greencroft on G54.01 and G54.02, at Annfield Plain on A38.01 and on our List of Ships’ crews
