Stephen Griffin Thomas – Civilian War Casualty

Early Life

Stephen Griffin Thomas was born in 1922 in Swansea, the son of Stephen Howell Thomas and Winifred Thomas. As a young man he left Swansea to take up a position as a junior clerk with Messrs. Lever Brothers at Port Sunlight, the model industrial village on the Wirral created for the company’s workforce.

Lever Brothers During the War

Lever Brothers played a significant role in the national war effort during the Second World War. Although best known for soap and household products, the company’s factories at Port Sunlight produced materials essential to Britain’s military and civilian needs. These included soap and disinfectants for hospitals and troop sanitation, as well as glycerine, a vital component in the manufacture of explosives such as cordite. The company also processed oils and fats used in food production and industrial lubricants. Because of this strategic importance, the Port Sunlight complex—and the surrounding Wirral—became a target for German air raids. Many employees, including clerks like Stephen, contributed not only through their daily work but also through civil defence duties such as fire‑watching and Home Guard service.

The Bombing of Port Sunlight

South Wales Daily Post

The South Wales Daily Post, reporting on 19^th October 1941, stated that Stephen had been “reported missing, believed killed” following the bombing of Port Sunlight on 17 October 1941. At the time, he had been living in Bebington, less than four miles from Birkenhead. This entire area formed part of the wider Liverpool–Birkenhead Blitz, one of the most heavily bombed regions in Britain outside London. Because of its proximity to the Liverpool docks, the Birkenhead shipyards, and the Lever Brothers industrial complex, Port Sunlight and the surrounding districts were repeatedly targeted by the Luftwaffe.

During October 1941, the Wirral endured sustained and destructive night raids, with bombing recorded on every night between the 16^th and the 22^nd. These attacks caused widespread damage to homes, factories, and public buildings, and resulted in numerous civilian casualties. Port Sunlight itself, though a planned and peaceful village, was struck several times, its residential streets offering little protection against high‑explosive bombs and incendiaries.

Death

It was during this intense period of bombing that Stephen lost his life. He was killed on 17^th October 1941 at 9 Boundary Road, Port Sunlight, one of the many civilian victims of the Merseyside Blitz. His death reflects the wider reality of wartime life in the region: even those far from the front lines faced grave danger as industrial communities became targets of strategic air attack