Colin Boyd has provided the following:
John was born in Sunderland on September 1st 1886 and by the time of the 1901 Census he was living with his 80 year old maternal grandmother at 15, Lambton Street, Sunderland. He apparently served an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner as he was employed as a fitter by Austin and Company of Sunderland when he enrolled in the Royal Naval Reserve on October 24th 1912. He had previously married Ann Isabel Thompson in 1911 and the couple were living at 20, Hudson Street, Sunderland.
On enrolment John was described as being 5 feet 3 inches tall with a fair complexion and brown eyes. In 1913 he went to sea in the Merchant Navy as an engineer and he had completed three voyages before he was called up on August 24th 1914. Most of John's war service was shore based or in home waters and he was regularly promoted, culminating in him achieving the rank of Chief Engine Room Artificer, the highest non commissioned engineering rank in the Royal Navy. He is stated to have served on H.M.S. Loyal.
Towards the end of the war John was serving on HMS Acacia and was notified of the intention to retain him for further service at the end of hostilities. He was still serving on Acacia on April 7th 1919 in Beirut when he fell down a flight of stairs and fractured his neck with fatal consequences. John is buried in Beirut War Cemetery.
John Thornton is remembered in Sunderland on S140.017, S140.048 part 08 page 162 and S140.124, and on our List of Ships’ crews
