Thomas George Walters – Royal Navy, H.M. Trawler Edward VII

Trimmer Thomas George Walters – Royal Navy, H.M. Trawler Edward VII

Early Life and Family Background

Thomas George Walters

Thomas George Walters was born in 1891 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, the son of John Walters and Anna Maria Cozens, who had married in 1881 at Haverfordwest.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the Walters family were living at Albert Town, Furzy Park, Pembrokeshire. John, then 30, was working as a General Labourer, while Anna Maria, aged 27, cared for their growing family. Their home was a lively one, with several young children: William (9), Elizabeth (7), Catherine (5), Ada (4), Martha (2), and baby Thomas, just two months old.

Family Changes

1901 Census

Life changed dramatically when Thomas’s father, John Walters, died in 1898, leaving Anna Maria widowed with several children. By the 1901 Census, Anna had formed a new household with Joseph Cooze, and the family had moved to 67 Pontypaid Street, Roath, Cardiff. Joseph, aged 47, was employed as a Birch Maker, and Anna, now 37, was listed as his wife. Their blended family included older children from both sides, with William Walters, now 19, working as a Stone Mason, and the younger Walters and Cooze children living together under one roof. Anna and Joseph later formalised their relationship with a marriage in 1905 at the Parish Church of Llangyfelach.

1911 Census

By 1911, the family had relocated to 8 Trawyddfa Road, Landore, Swansea. Joseph is absent from the census return, and Anna, aged 47, is recorded as head of the household. Several of her adult children were still living at home and contributing to the household income: William (29) was working as a Plate Layer; Eliza Ann (27) was employed as a Barmaid; Kate (26) worked as a General Grocer; and Ada (24) was also a Barmaid.

Thomas George, now 20, was employed as a Railway Driver (Loco). His younger sisters Sarah Ann (19) and Ethel Maud (17) were working as a Music Teacher and Dressmaker respectively. Also living in the home were the younger children Charles Cyril Cooze and Anna Cooze, along with their niece, Ethel Cooze, and a granddaughter, Daisy Averial Walters, aged just one.

Service in the Royal Navy

In January 1914, Thomas George enlisted in the Royal Navy, serving as a Trimmer. This demanding role involved managing the ship’s coal supplies and maintaining the boilers—physically exhausting work essential to keeping naval vessels operational. He was assigned to H.M. Trawler Edward VII, a vessel engaged in minesweeping duties during the First World War, one of the most dangerous naval tasks of the conflict.

H.M. Trawler Edward VII

H.M. Trawler Edward VII began life as a commercial steam trawler before being taken into naval service during the First World War. Built in 1906 by Smith’s Dock Co. Ltd., North Shields, she was a steel side‑trawler, powered by a 3‑cylinder steam engine manufactured by Shields Engineering Co. The vessel measured 120.6 ft in length, 21.6 ft in breadth, and 11.5 ft in depth, with a gross tonnage of 231.25 tons. She was originally registered at Milford Haven under the number M196.

Like many trawlers of her era, Edward VII was a strong, sturdy vessel designed to withstand harsh conditions at sea, making her ideal for wartime conversion. When war broke out in 1914, the Royal Navy requisitioned large numbers of such trawlers for minesweeping duties. These vessels were manned largely by fishermen and merchant seamen enrolled in the Royal Naval Reserve (Trawler Section)—a force created specifically to mobilise trawlers and their crews during national emergencies.

During the war, Edward VII served as a minesweeper, responsible for clearing shipping lanes of deadly naval mines. Minesweeping was among the most perilous duties in the Royal Navy, with crews working close to enemy minefields and under constant threat from submarines. The vessel had already seen years of hard service as a commercial trawler, experiencing collisions and storm damage, reflecting the tough conditions faced by such ships even in peacetime.

By the time Thomas George Walters served aboard her, Edward VII had become part of the Royal Navy’s essential minesweeping fleet, working to keep Britain’s coastal waters safe for military and merchant shipping.

Loss of H.M. Trawler Edward VII

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Thomas George Walters
St Mary Churchyard, Tollesbury, Essex
credit - findagrave

According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Thomas George Walters lost his life on 8^th September 1915, when H.M. Trawler Edward VII was lost. His body was recovered, and he was laid to rest at St Mary Churchyard, Tollesbury, Essex.

Commemoration

Although he has a known grave, Thomas is remembered among the many Royal Navy personnel who served in perilous conditions during the First World War. His story reflects the courage and sacrifice of the sailors who risked—and often lost—their lives while protecting Britain’s coastal waters