Thomas John Saunders – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Active

Able Seaman Thomas John Saunders – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Active

Early Life

Thomas John Saunders was born in 1894 in Swansea, the son of James Saunders and Elizabeth Morris, who had married in 1875. He grew up in a large working‑class family in the industrial districts of Swansea.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the Saunders family were living at 28 Landeg Street, Swansea. Thomas’s father, James, aged 50, was employed as a General Labourer, while his mother Elizabeth, aged 49, managed the household. Their children living at home were James (18), a Moulder at the foundry; Ebenezer (14), a Bricklayer’s Labourer; Fanny (12); Thomas John (7); and Mary Ann (5). This was a typical working‑class Swansea household, with older children already contributing to the family income.

1911 Census

Following the death of his father James Saunders in 1908, the family moved to 73 Silo Road, Landore, where the 1911 Census records Elizabeth, now 60, as a widow supporting her children. Thomas John, aged 17, was working at the Tin Works, and his sister Mary Ann (15) was employed at the Pop Factory. Like many families of the time, the household relied on the earnings of its younger members after the loss of the primary breadwinner.

Naval Service

Thomas John Saunders 
Royal Navy Records

In 1913, Thomas enlisted in the Royal Navy, beginning what would become a short but committed period of service. He attained the rank of Able Seaman and served aboard H.M.S. Active, one of the Royal Navy’s pre‑war Active‑class scout cruisers.

H.M.S. Active

H.M.S. Active was the lead ship of the Active‑class scout cruisers, launched in 1911. Designed as a fast and lightly armoured vessel, she served as a destroyer flotilla leader and fleet scout. The ship displaced around 3,340 tons, carried a crew of approximately 290–320 officers and men, and could reach speeds of 25 knots. Her armament included ten 4‑inch guns, several smaller quick‑firing guns, and two 18‑inch torpedo tubes.

H.M.S. Active

During the First World War, H.M.S. Active played an important role in several major naval formations. She began the war as leader of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla within the Harwich Force, guarding the eastern approaches to the English Channel. In 1915, she joined the Grand Fleet, and took part in the Battle of Jutland (31 May–1 June 1916), screening the main battle line. Later she served briefly with the 4^th Destroyer Flotilla, and in 1917 was posted to Queenstown (Cobh) in Ireland for convoy‑protection duties during the height of the U‑boat threat. By late 1917 she had transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, operating from Gibraltar for the remainder of the war.

Death

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Able Seaman Thomas John Saunders died from disease on 6^th November 1916 while serving on H.M.S. Active. Disease was a persistent risk aboard Royal Navy vessels, exacerbated by cramped living quarters, long periods at sea, and the operational stresses of wartime service.

Burial

Thomas John Saunders
Scartho Road Cemetery, Grimsby
credit - findagrave

Thomas is buried at Scartho Road Cemetery, Grimsby, a cemetery used extensively during the First World War for naval personnel and for those who died in nearby military hospitals. His grave stands as a lasting testament to his service and sacrifice