Thomas Edward DALE

With thanks to Graham Dale for sharing the photographs and documents of his Grandfather

Thomas Edward Dale is born in Herne Bay on 14th June 1901. His father is also Thomas Edward and his mother is Edith Mary Keeler. Thomas senior is a bricklayer's labourer from Broadstairs. There are eight siblings Edith, Thomas, Rosie, Lillian, Alice, Ada, Amy and Jessie. Ada dies on 14th May 1910 aged only 9 months old. Infantile deaths being very common at the time. The 1911 census states that the family live at 10 Salts Lane, Herne Bay. Before the 1st World War and as a boy Thomas is in the local parish choir, he then becomes a grocer's assistant. 

Thomas then has a long and varied naval career. He signs up on 25th April 1918 with the Great War still in progress. He is just 16 years old. He is present at Scapa Flow when the German fleet is scuttled by the Royal Navy after the war. Over the next 12 years Thomas serves on many ships. HMS Ramillies 1919 to 1921, HMS Marlborough 1922 to 1924, then HMS Starfish, Benbow, Malcolm and Medway. Thomas leaves the Royal Navy on 13th June 1931. 

Thomas marries Hilda May Everett Tuffin on 25th October 1924 at Blean district. However with Thomas away at sea Hilda decides to move her family and herself back to Reigate, Surrey to be closer to her family. Thomas and Hilda's children are Hilda, Thomas, Kathleen, Dorothy and Rowland. After leaving the Royal Navy Thomas gets employment as a postman in July 1931.

At the outbreak of 2nd World War Thomas is conscripted into the Royal Navy Reserve. Thomas finds himself on board HMS Whirlwind a W class Destroyer. He is involved with military convoys for Operation Narvik and Operation Dynamo, the Dunkirk evacuation.

On 5th July 1940 HMS Whirlwind is deployed in the south western approaches 120 miles west of Land's End for an anti submarine search operation. The ship is hit by a torpedo fired from an enemy U-34 and seriously damaged. 57 of the ship's company are killed including Thomas. 

Thomas's father Thomas senior and his uncle Frank are killed within six weeks of each other in the Great War in 1915. A terrible tragedy for one family however not uncommon.