Biography of Thomas George Wilson

THOMAS GEORGE WILSON: BORN WEST HARTLEPOOL, 1 MARCH 1871

Thomas George Wilson was the third son and youngest child of James Wilson (born at Stockton-on-Tees in 1838), who rose to become Foreman Shipwright at Irvine’s Harbour Yard, West Hartlepool.  His mother was Maria (formerly Grainger, nee Vie), the daughter of a Coastguard from Robin Hood’s Bay.  The Vies were originally from Lulworth Cove (Dorset) just as the Wilsons originally hailed from Whitby.  In 1871 James and Maria Wilson lived at 19 Dover Street, West Hartlepool.  This couple had five children in all.  James Wilson died at 31 Grosvenor Street, the residence of his daughter, Mrs Maria Elizabeth Pallin, in 1907.  His wife predeceased him in 1894.  She too passed away at her daughter’s home, which was then No. 9 Park Square.        

Thomas George served an engineering apprenticeship before going to sea as an engineer-officer in the Mercantile Marine.  He passed his Second Class (Board of Trade) Certificate of Competency examinations on 10 January 1895 and his First Class Certificate on 8 May 1900.  Both certificates were gained at West Hartlepool.  He was also a Freemason.

March 5 1893: Married Ada Coates at the Wesley Chapel, West Hartlepool.   Thomas George was then living with his parents at 21 Archer Street.  Like Thomas George, Ada’s father was a seagoing marine engineer.  At the time of Ada’s marriage the Coates family lived at No. 8 Reed Street. Thomas George and Ada Wilson went on to have seven children.

December 1893: Living at No. 8 Fawcett Street, West Hartlepool.

September 1896-April 1898: Living at 14 Mary Street.

1900-1901: Second Engineer aboard the Gray-built tramp steamer “Rowena,” sailing from West Hartlepool, South Wales and the Wear to the Black Sea (Varna), New Orleans and Port Said.

1902: Living at 124 Sheriff Street.

July 1902: Second Engineer aboard the cargo-liner “Evangeline,” sailing from West Hartlepool and London to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

March 1905: Chief Engineer aboard the “London City,” sailing from Liverpool to Canada.

August 1907: Chief Engineer aboard the steamer “Runo,” sailing from Rotterdam to Baltimore, taking emigrants to the U.S.A., also calling at London and Liverpool.

1912: Living at 45 Milton Street.

1909-1913: Sailing as Chief Engineer aboard the steamships “Wensleydale” and “North Point.”  Aboard the former he is known to have sailed to Antwerp whilst aboard the latter he called at Norfolk (Virginia), Philadelphia, and at Fowey in the U.K.

1914: Narrowly escaped internment in Germany upon the outbreak of the Great War when his ship departed Bremerhaven.

1916-17: Survived two sinkings by U-boat.  In the second of these, whilst sailing as “Chief” aboard the “Foylemore,” he was asleep in his cabin when a torpedo struck, being knocked unconscious.  The Second Engineer, a brave man, noticed his absence whilst abandoning ship.  He went back for Thomas George, rousing him from his stupor and, with the main deck almost awash, bundled him over the side.  After swimming around for some time Thomas George was picked up by a boat from one of two U.S. destroyers on anti-submarine patrol.  The “Foylemore” was on Government Service when she was sunk, sailing out to West Africa with coal for Royal Navy warships engaged in a hunt for German commerce raiders.

April 1918: Joined “Rhode Island” at Glasgow as Chief Engineer, sailing for Boston, U.S.A.  In June 1918 the steamer docked at Montreal.  Thomas George Wilson received the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine Medal for his sea-service during the Great War.

1918-1926: Chief Engineer aboard “Rhode Island,” sailing mainly to Canada and the U.S.A.  During one of his voyages from Liverpool, Thomas George was involved in the capture of a stowaway.  An escaped convict, the man was armed with a revolver and got off a shot before being overpowered by Thomas George and others.  The bullet went through Thomas George’s peaked cap, which he subsequently kept as a souvenir.

The “Rhode Island” was Thomas George Wilson’s favourite ship.  Owned by the Furness-Withy concern, she was taken out of service due to a rationalisation of services and was then sold to the West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Co.  Thomas George Wilson also left Furness, Withy, ending an association with that shipping company that lasted almost a quarter of a century.

1926-30: Chief Engineer aboard the tramp steamer “Inkula,” sailing from Glasgow and Liverpool to Australia, Japan and the Solomon Islands.  It was a time of economic hardship, the Great Strike and the Great Depression, but good officers like Thomas George could nearly always find a berth. 

February 24 1931: Died at the family home, 29 Tankerville Street, West Hartlepool.  The Wilsons are known to have been living at this address by 1924.  For his final voyage Thomas George was away from home for three years, the maximum time permitted for a continuous voyage under Board of Trade regulations.   Upon his return from the South Seas Thomas George went to watch Hartlepools Utd. at the Victoria Ground.  He caught a chill that turned to pneumonia.

In addition to their residences in West Hartlepool, the Wilsons are known to have maintained a summer house, “Rose Cottage,” at Dalton-on-Tees, near Croft Spa, for many years.

  Thomas George Wilson always kept in touch with his family whilst he was at sea via letters, postcards and gifts.  He was remembered by his family as a genial character and a man much like Jules Verne’s Captain Bunsby – having a sprightly expression of the eye and an energetic and self reliant countenance.

Source: “The Wilsons of Whitby and West Hartlepool,” Vol. 4 by Stuart James Wilson.  See images.

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