Thomas John Fitzgerald – Merchant Navy, S.S. Brinkburn

Able Seaman Thomas John Fitzgerald – Merchant Navy, S.S. Brinkburn

Early Life

Thomas John Fitzgerald was born in 1921 in Swansea, the son of Patrick Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Ann Griffiths. 

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the family living at 21 Emma Street, Swansea. Patrick, then aged 58, was employed as a General Labourer, while Elizabeth, aged 37, managed the household. Their children at that time were Martha Jane (11), Mary Elizabeth (9), Patrick James (7)—who was attending school—James (4), and Thomas John, then just 10 months old.

1939 Register

By the time of the 1939 Register, the family had moved to 64 Gwili Terrace, Swansea. Elizabeth was recorded undertaking household duties, Patrick James was working as a Fuel Worker, and Thomas John, now a young man, was listed as a Sailor, already serving at sea before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Service in the Merchant Navy

S.S. Brinkburn 
credit - wrecksite

Thomas John joined the Merchant Navy, serving as an Able Seaman, a skilled deck rating responsible for navigation duties, lookout work, and the general operation and safety of the ship. He served aboard the S.S. Brinkburn, a British steam merchant vessel operating during the height of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Sinking of the S.S. Brinkburn – 21^st June 1943

The S.S. Brinkburn was a 4,737‑ton British steam merchant ship, built in 1924 by William Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool, and operated by R. Ropner & Co. Ltd. Throughout the war, she transported vital cargoes across the Atlantic and around the British Isles—routes made increasingly dangerous by persistent German U‑boat activity.

On 21^st June 1943, while sailing independently from Loch Ewe to Halifax, the Brinkburn was attacked in the North Atlantic by the German submarine U‑338. A torpedo struck the vessel with devastating force, causing catastrophic structural damage. The ship sank rapidly, giving the crew almost no chance to escape into the cold Atlantic waters.

All 40 men on board were lost. There were no survivors, and no wreckage or bodies were ever recovered.

The loss of the Brinkburn occurred during a period when U‑boat operations were still inflicting heavy casualties on Allied merchant shipping, despite improvements in convoy protection. The total loss of the vessel and her crew stands as a stark reminder of the extreme dangers faced by Merchant Navy personnel during the Battle of the Atlantic.

Among those who perished was Able Seaman Thomas John Fitzgerald, serving his country far from home.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Thomas John Fitzgerald
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths register, Able Seaman Thomas John Fitzgerald, of 64 Gwili Terrace, Swansea, lost his life on 21^st June 1943 when the S.S. Brinkburn was sunk. As he has no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours the thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who died at sea during both world wars.