Thomas Norman – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Crownsin
Trimmer Thomas Norman – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Crownsin
Early Life and Family
Thomas Norman was born in 1877 in Barnstaple, Devon,
the son of Richard Thomas. He later moved to Swansea, where he married Mary
Thomas, and the couple made their home at 88 Foxhole Road, St. Thomas,
Swansea.
Service with the Royal Naval Reserve
Thomas served with the Royal Naval Reserve as a Trimmer,
a demanding engineering role responsible for managing a ship’s coal bunkers,
ensuring an even distribution of fuel, and supporting the firemen in
maintaining steam for propulsion. On small naval vessels such as trawlers,
trimmers were essential members of the crew, working in hot, confined, and
often dangerous conditions below deck.
Loss of H.M. Trawler Crownsin
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| British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records |
According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Thomas Norman was killed on 4th May 1916 following the sinking of H.M. Trawler Crownsin.
On that day, the British naval trawler HMT Crownsin
was sunk by a mine laid by the German submarine U‑73, off the
coast of Malta. The explosion destroyed the vessel, and 11 crew
members were killed, including Thomas. Naval trawlers like Crownsin were
heavily used during the First World War for minesweeping and patrol duties,
often operating in waters where the threat from mines and submarines was
constant and deadly.
Thomas Norman’s death was one of many suffered by the Royal
Naval Reserve’s trawler crews, whose hazardous work played a vital role in
keeping sea lanes open and protecting Allied shipping.
Commemoration
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| Thomas Norman Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth credit - findagrave |
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