On Tower Hill Memorial, London is the name of Cook Thomas Nesbitt White serving on S.S. Pennington Court with the Merchant Navy who died 09/10/1942
The son of Thomas Nesbitt White and Elizabeth Freeman White and the husband of Agnes Gertrude White, of South Shields, Co. Durham.
In South Shields (Harton) Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:
In loving memory of
Alexander James Lockie
died 3rd Dec. 1933 aged 57 years.
Also Eleanor Jane Lockie
beloved wife of the above
died 17th Dec. 1963 aged 86 years.
Also Mary Eleanor Lockie
dearly loved daughter of the above
died 29th Jan. 1913 aged 11 years.
Also Thomas Nesbitt White
beloved husband of
Agnes Gertrude White
presumed lost at sea
9th Oct. 1942 aged 37 years.
Also Agnes Gertrude White
died 14th Sept. 1973 aged 69 years.
At 21.01 hours on the 9th October 1942 the unescorted Pennington Court, ship number 148274, (Master John Horne), a straggler from convoy SC-103, was hit by two of three torpedoes from U-254, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Odo Loewe, southeast of Cape Farewell. The U-boat had spotted two stragglers from convoy after they were reported by U-753 (von Mannstein) and subsequently attacked one of them with a spread of three torpedoes of which one was a tube runner.
As the ship was still slowly moving after the hits, the U-boat fired its fourth bow torpedo at 21.45 hours, but missed. Five minutes later the stern torpedo was fired which passed underneath the target without detonating.
While the crew abandoned ship and sent distress signals, U-254 had to reload the torpedo tubes first because a high swell prevented the use of the deck gun. Pennington Court sank by the bow after being hit amidships by a coup de grâce at 23.10 hours. The U-boat then immediately left without questioning the survivors to unsuccessfully chase the other straggler. However, the lifeboats were never found and the master, 40 crew members and four gunners were lost.
Source: U Boat Net
Thomas Nesbitt White is remembered at South Shields on S86.07, panel 20, at Westoe in W101.08, page 90 and on our List of Ships’ Crews.
