In Nantes (la Bouteillerie) Cemetery France is the Commonwealth War Grave of Wireless Operator Thomas Davison, serving on S.S. Cressington Court with the Mercantile Marine who died 29/12/1918.
The son of Robert and Mary Davison, of South Shields.
Thomas Davison was born on the 5th June 1892, the youngest son of 6 children to Shipsmith, Robert Davison, born 1859, and his wife Mary born 1861. They were married in 1883. The other children were Reginald Davison, born 1884, Leonard, born 1885, John, born 17th April 1890, [in 1939 he was married to a Mary J. Davison, (born 20th November 1893) with two children at 78 Richmond Road, South Shields, Durham], and Ethel born 1887. One child died.
Thomas in 1901 was residing at 158 South Frederick Street, by 1906 he moved to number 224 Frederick Street. Thomas was educated at the Westoe Secondary School in 1906 at the age of 14, and left in July, 1911, having spent his last two years there as a part time pupil-teacher for South Shields Borough Council.
On leaving school he became a commercial clerk. He joined the Royal Naval Reserve on the 12th August 1915, he was 5 feet five inches tall, fresh complexion, brown hair, blue eyes. He was discharged and served in the Mercantile Marine as a Wireless operator on the SS Cressington Court, ship number 125709.
Cressington Court 1908 Richardson Duck & Co, Stockton 1918 sold to Sutherland Steam Ship Co., Newcastle renamed Roxburgh, 1922 sold to Tyneside Shipping Co. (J. Ridley & Son & Tully) not renamed, 1924 sold to Carras Bros renamed Fotini, 1925 renamed Fotini Carras, 1935 sold to Westbourne Shipping Co. and scrapped as Hillcote. 4,396.
On 29th December, 1918, his ship came under gunfire from an unknown submarine.
He died at the American Base Hospital at Nantes from his wounds. [During World War I the American Red Cross Base Hospital No. 38 (also known as United States Army Base Hospital No. 38) was organized under the auspices of Jefferson Medical College and Hospital which served military and civilian populations. The unit was located in Nantes, France].
Acknowledgment: James Hoy Archive.
Thomas Davison is remembered at Harton on H104.03, at South Shields on S86.027 and in S86.086, page 4, and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
