In Birtley St. John’s Churchyard is the Commonwealth War Grave of:-

T.R. Corbett
Able Seaman SS/7559 R.N.
H.M.S. Vestal
21st June 1918 aged 18 years

Catherine Robilliard of the Sussex History Forum has provided the following:

Newcastle Journal – Tuesday 25/06/1918
THREE SEAMEN KILLED AT GUN PRACTICE.
An inquest was held at Haslar Hospital on Able Seaman Frederick James Ingham, 33, Birkenhead; Able Seaman Thomas Russell Corbett, 19, Durham; and Ordinary Seaman George Seaborne Lloyd, 19, Monmouthshire. Deceased were employed on a small gun-boat at Spithead. A party were carrying out gun practice. Eight rounds had been fired, and on the ninth round an officer saw one man fall forward and three or four lying on the deck. Two of the deceased were killed outright; the third died later. A naval inquiry had been held. The breech-block had been blown overboard, and the threads of the screw indicated the block only started to revolve when the accident occurred. A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.

Thomas Russell Corbett is remembered at Birtley on B127.01 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.