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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: scottish lassy on Tuesday 22 January 13 21:24 GMT (UK)
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My ggrandfather, john thomson died on the 22 February 1917 on the HMS Isonzo. I cannot find that the ship was in any conflict at the time and as john's reason for death is drowning, how can I find out what happened? Speculation within family suggest it may be have been suicide or (knowing my family) he could have fallen over the side drunk!!!!!!
Any help appreciated
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Record here
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/s/res?_q=John+Thomson+1880+tong&x=35&y=12&_sd=yyyy&_ed=yyyy
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Ship's log should be at the National Archives, and might just include a mention, but the catalogue has a gap for Feb 1917, which is curious. Jan 17 and Mar-Apr 17 are covered (ADM 53/45072 and ADM 53/45073): might be a cataloguing error, might be a missing log book.
Having said that, the few occasions I've tried to use log books for this sort of thing have been disappointments - some mentions of officers, otherwise position/course/speed/quantity of water/coal/whatever, nothing else.
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Naval History net shows his death as
Isonzo, fleet auxiliary
THOMSON, John, Leading Seaman, RNR, C 2697, drowned
ISONZO was a fleet messenger of 1793 tons launched 1898, previously ISIS changed to ISONZO in January 1916, after the war became SS GIBEL SARSAR from March 1920.
Buzancy18
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Hi Scottish Lassy,
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website has the following info re your gt grandfather.
Thomson, John
Rank: Leading Seaman
Service No: 2697B
Date of Death: 22/02/1917
Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve - H.M.S Isonzo
Panel ref: 26
Memorial; Chatham Naval Memorial
Apologies if you already have this info, being that he has been commemorated, it is i would imagine unlikley therefore that his death would have been suicide or falling over the side drunk. I am not saying that this is definate, just that i feel it unlikely to be the case.
I too am currently unable to find out what his ship was doing at this time either.
Hope the above info helps.
Kind regards
David
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As regards his commemoration on the Chatham Memorial the CWGC policy was to commemorate all who died while serving, for whatever reason. Of more significance is that fact that he appears on this memorial and so has no known grave. That suggests that his body was never recovered or that he was buried at sea. Had the body been recovered and the ship been near land then he probably would have been buried ashore.
Imber
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thanks to all who answered. I did at one time look up a document at the records office in Edinburgh (can't remember now what type of record) and it had (2) after the reason for death. I didn't know if this was some type of naval code for type of death. On his memorial stone it does say he was lost in the mediteranean, so looks as if body not recovered.
SL
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Looks likely he was lost overboard.
Buzancy18