Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class W. Thomas, Royal Navy, who was killed in action when H.M.S. Galatea was torpedoed by the German submarine U-557 and sunk off Alexandria, 15 December 1941

Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-1939 (D/MX.53003 W. Thomas. E.R.A.4. R.N.) in named card box of issue, in outer envelope addressed to ‘Mrs. R. N. McLaughlin, 3 Calder Walk, Efford, Plymouth, Devon.’; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. R. N. McLaughlin, 3 Calder Walk, Efford, Plymouth, Devon.’, extremely fine £240-£280

William Thomas was born in Penryn, Cornwall, on 7 October 1912, and joined the Royal Navy in 1936. He served during operations in pre-War Palestine, and during the Second World War as an Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class in the light cruiser H.M.S. Galatea, and by November 1941 was based at Malta with Force ‘K’, operating against the axis supply convoys to North Africa. On the night of 14 December 1941 her squadron was returning to Alexandria after an unsuccessful search for an Italian convoy bound for Benghazi. Throughout the evening Galatea was subjected to attacks from German dive-bombers; the attacks lasted for about seven hours. Just before midnight, Galatea was struck by two torpedoes in quick succession, fired by the German submarine U-557. The cruiser turned over and sank in three minutes. Captain Sim, 22 officers and 447 ratings were killed. About 100 survivors were picked up by the destroyers H.M.S. Griffin and Hotspur.

After sinking Galatea, U-557 headed back to the base of the 23rd Flotilla at Salamis. At 9:44 p.m. on 16 December, whilst to the west of Crete, she was rammed and sunk by the Italian motor torpedo boat Orione. There were no survivors.

Jackson was amongst those killed, aged 25. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. His medals were sent to his widow Roma Nora Thomas, née Trethewey, who had since re-married.