Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.131 | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Thomas Parr was born in 1872 at Whitehaven to Thomas and Isabella Parr, sometime of 5 Swinburn Court, Whitehaven.He was aboard the SS Fleswick as its 2nd Mate in 1899. He is recorded in the same position in 1901 again with crew of the Fleswick. Both the Captain and the 1st Mate were Scottish, which may be a clue, or influencing factor of why he joined a masonic lodge under the Scottish constitution.
In 1911, Thomas would normally be resident at 69 Strand Street, Whitehaven, but he was away at the time of the census, probably at sea, him being listed a "Master" and a Seaman of the Merchant Service. He is 39.
His wife of 20 years, Mary (nee Thompson married at Holy Trinity, Whitehaven 5th April 1890), was at home with most of the brood. He had altogether 7 brothers and sisters: Isabelle b.1891, David b. 1895, Ellen b. 1901, Joseph b.1903, Mary b. 1906, Annie b. 1911 and one who had died by the 1911 census.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Mercantile Marine |
| Action : Naval Campaign |
Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.
Detail :
Despite the masonic record showing that Thomas was lost at sea in August 1914, the facts point to his date of death being 1917, when the defensively-armed British Merchant ship, SS Wyndhurst, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UC-71, 30 miles South from St Catherines, English Channel. She was en route from Penarth for Rouen. 11 lives, including that of the Captain, Thomas Parr, were lost. See more at Wrecksite EU.
He has no known grave and is therefore commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial and also at the grave of his wife, Mary, at Whitehaven Cemetery, who died, aged 69, 23rd January 1940.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lewis No. 872 E.C. | Cumberland & Westmoreland |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
21st December 1908 | 21st December 1908 | 21st December 1908 |
Thomas joined the English Constitution from Lodge 320 of the Scottish Constitution on 21st December, 1908. He is listed as a Sea Captain, resident at Strand Street, Whitehaven. According to the last note in the contribution register he was "Lost at Sea Aug 1914." It may be over confusion about the date of his death which leads to Thomas being excluded from the 1940 Scroll at Great Queen Street, after his name had appeared in the original 1921 version.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley