Thomas Ayres Coleman

A Seaman with the Royal Naval Reserve, Thomas died on 14th of January 1918 at the age of 28. 

Thomas was born at Lowestoft on 31 December 1889, a son of Charles Edward and Sarah Coleman. In 1891 Thomas' family lived at 25 Jacob's Street, Lowestoft, and this was his home throughout his life. By 1911 Thomas was working as a fisherman. The 1911 Census shows him as the Forth Hand on the trawler Loch Lomond at Padstow. 

Thomas joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 3 January 1913. In 1913 he worked on trawlers based at North Shields including LT 250 and the trawler Highland Prince. During the First World War Thomas worked on Armed Merchant Cruisers. He joined H.M.S. Victorian on 1 April 1915. From 6 April (?) 1916 he served on S.S. Basilisk (? name indistinct on service record).

Thomas became ill with general paralysis of the insane and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham. He was invalided from the Royal Naval Reserve, through illness, and discharged on 29 October 1917. On 13 November 1917 he was transferred to the Suffolk County Asylum, Melton, where he died. 

On Saint Margaret's War Memorial.