Tom Lowe
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Tom was the son of John Lowe and his wife Susanna or Sarah Ann (née Newborne). John and Susanna were married at Nottingham St Peter on 8 January 1882 had nine children of whom only six survived infancy or early childhood. Six children were named on the census between 1891 and 1911: Tom b. 1882, Alonza b. 1886, Ellen b. 1888, William b. 1892, Harriet birth registered 1895 (J/F/M) and Sydney b. 1901 (O/N/D). Two of the three children who died young were Charles birth registered 1884 (J/F/M) and Mary birth registered 1889 (J/F/M) d. 1901 (J/F/M). In 1891 John (34), a packing case maker, and Sarah (32), a cotton doubler, were living at 15 Sun Hill, Nottingham, with their three children Tom (8), Alonza (4) and Ellen (2). By 1901 they had moved to 1 Knight's Yard, Nottingham, with their five children, Tom, Alonzo, Ellen, William (8) and Harriet (6). Their youngest child Sydney was born later that year. John probably died in 1908 (J/F/M) and in 1911 his widow Susannah (sic), a lace home worker, was living at 12 Clarence Terrace, Nottingham, with five of her six children; Alonza (25) 'will not work mother keeps him', William a packing case maker, Harriet a lace pattern maker, Sydney (9), together with her married daughter Ellen Bales, her husband Harold, a carter for a paper manufacturer, and their son John Edward (2m). Harold and Ellen had married in 1910 (O/N/D Nottingham). The eldest child Tom had married Mary Matilda Fell (b. 13 April 1886) in 1910 (J/A/S Nottingham). They had three daughters: Evelyn b. 15 December 1910, Minnie b. 30 March 1910 and Hilda b. 17 April 1914. In 1911 Tom, a wood case maker (timber yard), Mary and their daughter Evelyn were living at 33 William Street off York Street, Nottingham, with Mary's widowed father, Edwin Marshall Fell an iron founder, his son John Walter (21) a railway porter, and daughter Jane (19) a jennier for a lace finishing company. Tom and his family later lived at 8 Clarence Terrace, Nottingham. His widow Mary later had a daughter, Gladys (Lowe) b. 25 April 1922 (A/M/J Nottingham, Fell) and in 1939 they were living at 34 Harrogate Road, Nottingham. Mary Matilda died in 1969 (O/N/D Basford). Tom's daughter Minnie married Harry Wright in 1938 (O/N/D Nottingham) and in 1939 at the time the England & Wales Register was compiled they were living in Nottingham. Minnie was working as a hosiery machinist and her husband was a builders' labourer. She died in 2007 (Feb. Nottingham). Evelyn and Hilda have not yet been traced after 1918 when they were named as two of their father's dependants.
34th Division Ammunition Column. Tom drowned when HMS Warilda, an ambulance transport ship, was torpedoed by German submarine UC-49 while on passage from Le Havre to Southampton. His body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial Southampton. 'HMAT Warilda (His Majesty's Australian Transport) was a 7713-ton vessel, built by William Beardmore and Company in Glasgow as the SS Warilda for the Adelaide Steamship Company. She was designed for the East-West Australian coastal service, but following the start of the First World War, became a troopship and in 1916, she was converted into a hospital ship. On 3 August 1918, she was transporting wounded soldiers from Le Havre to Southampton when she was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-49.This was despite being marked clearly with the Red Cross; as with a number of other hospital ships torpedoed during the war, Germany claimed the ships were also carrying arms. The ship sank in about two hours, and of the 801 persons on board, 123 people were sent to their deaths when the Warilda sank. The Deputy Chief Controller of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, Mrs Violet Long, lost her life in this action. Amongst the survivors was her commander, Captain Sim, who was later awarded the OBE by King George V.' (Wikipedia)
Tom's brother Alonzo served in the Militia (4th Bn Sherwood Foresters, 1239 Private) between 1906 and 1909 when he was discharged time expired. He enlisted on 16 August 1914 in the Sherwood Foresters (13309) and served in Gallipoli where he was wounded and spent some time in hospital in Malta before being invalided to the UK. He transferred to the 420th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps (431539) in 1917 and was discharged on 3 February 1919. His discharge to Old Hall, Walton on Trent, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire; his wife's address. Nottingham Evening Post 12/3/1919 courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918 “LOWE. – Reported missing, believed drowned August 3rd, 1918, on H.M.S. Warilda, now reported drowned on that date, S/S. Tom Lowe, R.F.A., the beloved husband of Pollie Lowe, 8 Clarence-Terrace. Shattered hopes. – From his ever-loving wife and three children. “LOWE. – Reported missing, believed drowned August ...3rd, 1918, now reported drowned on that date. Tom, the beloved son of Mrs. Lowe. – From his loving mother, sisters, and brothers, and Aunt Harriet. “LOWE. – Reported missing, believed drowned August 3rd, 1918, now reported drowned on that date. – From [illegible] and George, Martha and Walter, sisters & brothers-in-law.” Nottingham Evening Post, ‘In Memoriam’, 5 August 1919: ‘Lowe. In loving memory of my dear husband, SS Tom Lowe, RFA, lost on HMS Warilda August 3rd, 1918. To-day recalls sad memories. From loving wife and children.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Navy News, September 2018 (p35), extract: ‘WW1 Tragedy Recalled’: ‘Lt Mark Rooke from HMS Sultan sounds the Last Post while Stuart Rivers of the Sailors’ Society lowers the flag to mark the centenary of one of Southampton’s greates maritime tragedies [photograph], Despite clearly being marked with the Red Cross, the ambulance transport ship Warilda was torpedoed by a U-boat mid-Channel as she carried 614 casualties home from the Western Front for convalescence in the UK in the small hours of August 3 1918 … the torpedo blast wrecked one of Warilda’s propellers and jammed/destroyed her steering gear. As a result, the ship sailed around in circles for about 2 hours at 15 knots – making it extremely difficult to launch the lifeboats or for her escorts to come alongside and take people off. Among the most prominent victims was Violet Long, Deputy Chief Controller of the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps … Most of the wounded, nursing staff and crew were rescued and subsequently landed in Southampton – Warilda’s original destination on her voyage from Le Havre … The Warilda was originally built for carrying passengers on the UK-Australia run. First she was converted to a troopship to ferry Anzacs to Gallipoli and, later, France, then she became a hospital/ambulance transport between Southampton and Le Havre … UC-49, the submarine which fired the fatal torpedo, she was depth charged to destruction five days later. All hands were lost.' Another Nottingham man, Private Albert Buck, The Royal Welch Fusiliers, also died in SS Warilda and is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial. (Nottingham St Mary memorial) Registers of Soldiers' Effects:'Drowned ship for home'. His widow Mary Matilda was his sole legatee. WW1 Pension Ledgers: dependants widow Mary Matilda, Evelyn (15 December 1910), Minnie (30 March 1912) and Hilda (b. 17 April 1914).
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