Thomas George Herbert – Merchant Navy, M.V. Gatinais

Cook/Steward Thomas George Herbert – Merchant Navy, M.V. Gatinais

Early Life and Family Background

Thomas George Herbert was born in 1914 in Swansea. His early childhood was marked by loss, as his mother died while he was still young.

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, Thomas was living at 18 Sebastopol Street, St Thomas, Swansea, the home of his grandparents.

His grandfather, Thomas, aged 47, was employed as a Dock Labourer by the Swansea Harbour Trust, while his grandmother, Annie Mary, aged 52, kept the household. Also present was their son, William James Williams, aged 25, working as a Fish Packer.

The census further records Thomas George, aged 7, attending school, along with other family members living in the home: Edward Aubrey John, 23, a Fitter employed by the Phoenix Patent Fuel Company, his wife Elsie Victoria, 24, and their infant daughter, Elizabeth Maud, aged three months.

Service in the Merchant Navy

As an adult, Thomas George entered service with the Merchant Navy, where he held the rank of Cook/Steward aboard the M.V. Gatinais. His role placed him among the essential support crew responsible for the daily running of the vessel and the welfare of those on board.

The M.V. Gatinais: Construction, Requisition, and Wartime Role

The M.V. Gatinais was a 389‑ton motor cargo vessel, originally built for commercial service but drawn into the demands of wartime. According to Merchant Navy memorial records, she was a motor cargo ship of 389 GRT, later listed among the wartime losses of 1942.

In 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, the Gatinais was requisitioned by the French Navy at Cherbourg. During the dramatic events of June 1940, she took part in the evacuation of Dunkirk, assisting in the desperate effort to rescue Allied troops from the beaches as German forces advanced.

Following the fall of France, the vessel was seized by the British at Southampton in July 1940, ensuring she remained in Allied service. Under British control, the Gatinais operated as a coastal cargo vessel, transporting essential supplies around the British coastline at a time when the nation was heavily dependent on merchant shipping. Though modest in size, ships like the Gatinais were vital links in the wartime supply chain, carrying food, coal, and manufactured goods between ports.

Because of their limited speed and defensive capability, such vessels were especially vulnerable to attack by German E‑boats operating in the English Channel and Western Approaches.

Sinking of the M.V. Gatinais – 3^rd December 1942

On 3^rd December 1942, the M.V. Gatinais met her end when she was torpedoed by a German E‑boat approximately five miles off Start Point, on a bearing of 190 degrees. The attack was sudden and devastating, giving the crew little chance to escape.

The vessel sank with the loss of multiple crew members, including Cook/Steward Thomas George Herbert. The sinking of the Gatinais highlights the dangers faced not only by ocean‑going merchant ships but also by the smaller coastal vessels that kept Britain supplied throughout the war.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths 

Thomas George Herbert
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths records, Thomas George Herbert lost his life on 3^rd December 1942 while serving aboard the M.V. Gatinais. Like so many Merchant Navy men who died at sea with no known grave, his name is preserved on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which honours the thousands of merchant seafarers who gave their lives during both world wars.