On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of 11417DA Deck Hand Thomas Jefferson, serving on H.M. Trawler Ethelwulf with the Royal Naval Reserve who died 01/12/1918.

Colin Boyd has provided the following:

Thomas was born on 30th September 1880 in Alnmouth to Matthew Jefferson, a fisherman and his wife Jane.

By 1891 the family were living in Front Street, Alnmouth and Thomas was the oldest of seven sons.

In 1911 the reduced family was still living in Front Street. Matthew was now a widower, Jane having died in 1907 and only four of the sons, including Thomas were still at home. Thomas was now working as a greens keeper at a local golf club. He married Flossie May Wright in late 1911 and the couple set up home at 7, Grosvenor Terrace, Alnmouth.

Thomas enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve on 5th June 1916 when he was described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall with grey eyes and a dark complexion. He served on various drifters and trawlers as a deck hand, mainly in the North Sea.

Thomas was lost when HM Trawler Ethelwulf struck a mine on 1st December 1918 and sank with the loss of all hands. His widow Flossie was still living at 7, Grosvenor Terrace, Alnmouth.

Acknowledgments: Barney Rice

Thomas Jefferson is remembered at Alnmouth on A10.01, A10.03, A10.01 and A10.06 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.