Skipper Crisp VC

This picture appeared in the edition of the Norwich Mercury dated Saturday, November 10, 1917, accompanying an article on the award of the V.C.

 

The picture of Thomas has an early equivalent of photoshopping – a V.C. appears to have been pinned to his chest.

 

That sailor on CWGC is:-

CRISP, THOMAS

Rank:……………….......Skipper

Date of Death:……..15/08/1917

Age:…………………......41

Service:……………......Royal Naval Reserve

……………………...........H.M. Smack "Nelson."

Awards:……………......V C, D S C

Panel Reference:….25.

Memorial:…………......CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL

Additional Information:

Father of T. W. Crisp, of 41, Stanford St., Lowestoft, Suffolk. The tenor bell at St. Margaret's Church, Lowestoft, is named the "VC Bell" and dedicated to him.

 

Citation

An extract from the London Gazette, No. 30363, dated 30th Oct., 1917, records the posthumous award of V.C. "For service in action with enemy submarines."

CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3052474/CRISP,%20THOMAS

 

There is no obvious match on the WW1 Naval Casualties database.

 

The Royal Naval Reservist Service Records for DA 10055 Thomas Crisp, born Lowestoft on

Thomas is also remembered at St John’s Church in Lowestoft.

www.roll-of-honour.com/Suffolk/LowestoftStJohnsChurch.html

 

Thomas is also remembered at St Andrew’s Church in Lowestoft.

www.roll-of-honour.com/Suffolk/LowestoftStJohnsChurch.html

 

28th April 1876 – Birth of Thomas senior

 

Source – Catalogue entry for his Naval Reservist service records at the National Archive.

 

The birth of a Thomas Crisp was recorded in the Mutford District of Suffolk in the April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1876.

 

Mutford District included Lowestoft and the nearby villages.

 

1881 Census of England and Wales

 

The 4 year old Thomas Crisp, born Lowestoft, was recorded living at 3 Rant Score East, Lowestoft. This was the household of his parents, William, (aged 32, Boat Builder, born Lowestoft) and Maryann, (aged 31, born Somerleyton, Suffolk).

 

As well as Thomas their other children are:-

William…………aged 9…….born Lowestoft

Maryann………..aged 7……..born Lowestoft

Louisa…………..aged 2……..born Lowestoft

 

There is no obvious match for his future wife on this census

 

1891 Census of England and Wales

 

The is no obvious match for Thomas – however he would have been old enough to have been at sea.

 

His parents, William, (42) and Mary A, (41), were recorded living at 17 Seago Street, Lowestoft. Children living with them are:-

William…..aged 19….Bakers Assistant

Louisa…….aged 12

Lydia……..aged 9

John………aged 8…..born Lowestoft

Frederick…aged 5…..born Lowestoft

Elizabeth…aged 4…………born Lowestoft

George E ...aged 9 months…born Lowestoft

They also have a niece living with as a Housekeeper, the 14 year old Elizabeth Nunn.

 

The most likely match for his future wife is the 13 year old Harriett Alp, born Burgh St Peter, Norfolk, who was recorded living at a dwelling on Beccles Road, Aldeby, Norfolk. This was the household of her widowed grandmother Harriett Wright, (aged 62 and a Charwoman from Aldeby). Harriet Wright has a son living with her, a 41 year old single Fisherman Samuel Alp, (born Aldeby). She also has another grand-daughter living with her – the 8 year old Emily Burroughs, born Wheatacre, Norfolk.

 

1895 – Marriage

 

The marriage of a Thomas Crisp and Harriet Elizabeth Alp was recorded in the Mutford District in the April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1895.

 

18th February 1896 – birth of son Thomas William?

 

The Naval Reservist Service Records for a DA 4332 Thomas William Crisp, born “Boro St Peter, Suffolk” on the 18th February 1896, are held at the National Archive under reference BT 377/7/50806

discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8511873

 

However I suspect he lied about his age as this does not tie in with any of the civil records.

 

The birth of a Thomas William Crisp was recorded in the Loddon District of Norfolk in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1899.

 

Loddon District included Burgh St Peter

www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/districts/loddon.html

 

1897 – Birth of daughter Harriet

 

The birth of a Harriet Victoria M Crisp was recorded in the April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1897 in the Mutford District.

 

1901 Census of England and Wales

 

The 24 year old Thomas, a Mate of a Fishing Smack born Lowestoft, was recorded as the married head of a household at Staithe Road, Burgh St Peter, Norfolk. He lives there with his wife, Harriet Elizabeth, (aged 23, born Burgh St Peter, Norfolk. The couple have two children, Harriet Victoria May, (aged 3, born Lowestoft) and Thomas William, (aged 2, born Burgh St Peter).

 

1910 – birth of son Charles

 

The birth of a Charles M Crisp was registered in the July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1910.

 

1911 Census of England and Wales

 

There is no obvious match for Thomas on this census.

 

His wife, the 33 year, Harriett Elizabeth, born Burgh St Peter, Norfolk, was recorded living at 56 Roman Road, Lowestoft, She has been married 15 years. The couple have had 5 children, of which 3 were then still alive. These were:-

Harriett Victoria May….aged 13….born Lowestoft

Thomas William……….aged 12….born Wheatacre, Norfolk

Charles Montgomery…aged 6 months…born Lowestoft.

 

Post August 1911 it became compulsory when registering a birth with the Civil Authorities in England and Wales to also record the mothers maiden name. A search of the General Registrars Office Index of Births for England and Wales 1911-1983 brings up just on match for a child registered with the surname Crisp, mothers maiden name Alp, and that was a Margaret E, registered in the Mutford District in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1914. Given the date and location its very likely this was another child of Thomas and Harriett.

 

12th June 1917 – death of Harriett.

 

Date from the headstone.

 

The local council have put the cemetery records online. The 39 year old Harriett Elizabeth Crisp of 27 Stanford Street, Lowestoft, wife of Thomas Crisp, was buried on the 16th June 1917.

apps.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/pages/cemeteries/Lowestoft/colman...

 

On the day

 

Skipper Thomas Crisp's award of a posthumous Victoria Cross in 1917, when in command of a small sailing Q-ship, is one of the most personal and poignant. As he lay dying, his side split open by shell-fire, his last words to his son were, "Tom, I'm done. Throw me overboard."

 

That action led to the loss of two smacks. Skipper Crisp was the only man killed on HM Q-Ship Nelson, but all were lost on HMS Q-Ship Ethel and Millie.

 

The London Gazette 20 November 1918

(Fuller account following the Armistice)

 

from the Admiralty

 

With reference to announcements of the award of the Victoria Cross to naval officers and men for services in action with enemy submarines, the following (is the account of the action for which this award was made) —

 

Action of H.M. Armed Smack Nelson on the 15th August, 1917.

 

On the 15th August, 1917, the Smack Nelson was engaged in fishing when she was attacked by gunfire from an enemy submarine. The gear was let go and the submarine's fire was returned. The submarine's fourth shot went through the port bow just below the waterline, and the seventh shell struck the skipper, Thomas Crisp, partially disembowelling him, and passed through the deck and out through the side of the ship. In spite of the terrible nature of his wound Skipper Crisp retained consciousness, and his first thought was to send off a message that he was being attacked and giving his position. He continued to command his ship until the ammunition was almost exhausted and the smack was sinking. He refused to be moved into the small boat when the rest of the crew were obliged to abandon the vessel as she sank, his last request being that he might be thrown overboard.

 

(The posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Skipper Thomas Crisp, D.S.C., R.N.R., 10055 D.A., was announced in London Gazette No. 30363, dated the 2nd November, 1917.)

 

An Account of the Action

 

Wednesday 15 August 1917

 

North Sea

Admiralty hired smacks Nelson, also Ethel and Millie operating as Q-ships, sunk in action with U.63, leading to the award of a posthumous VC to Nelson's skipper:

 

G. & E., also known as Bird, Extirpator, Foam Crest, I’ll Try, Ledger No.929, Nelson, S.3 (H - listed as Nelson), operating as Nelson, special service/submarine decoy/Q-ship, fishing smack, c61/1905, Lowestoft-reg LT649, taken up 8/8-9/15 and again 22/1/16, probably only armed with 1-3pdr at this time, auxiliary engined by 8/17, Skipper T Crisp RNR, on patrol, fishing on Jim Howe Bank with trawl shot. Submarine sighted at 1445, 3 or 4 miles away, opened fire and although Nelson was hopelessly outranged, she replied. Started to receive hits and take in water, seventh shell went through the skipper's left side, mortally wounding him, Second Hand Tom Crisp, his son, took over command. Nelson continued firing until nearly out of ammunition, crew abandoned ship, tried to lift the skipper into the boat but his only response was "Tom, I'm done, throw me overboard". They left him on board, Nelson was shelled until she sank off Mabelthorpe, Lincs; only the skipper was lost, Ethel & Millie beckoned the survivors on board but they continued rowing west, next day they sighted minesweeper Dryad and other sweepers, but were not seen, then on the Friday made fast to the Jim Howe Bank buoy and in the afternoon finally rescued by Dryad. Skipper Thomas Crisp RNR was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Second Hand Thomas Crisp the DSM

 

ETHEL & MILLIE, also known as Boy Alfred, Ledger No.929, S.3, possibly Ethel and Emily, special service/submarine decoy/Q-ship, fishing smack, 58/1908, Lowestoft-reg LT200, taken up 1/2/17, 1-6pdr, 7 crew, Skipper William “Johnsey” Manning. After Nelson was sunk, UC.63 turned its attention to Ethel & Millie which was soon hit and stopped, then probably sunk by bomb; 1 officer, 6 ratings lost. According to the younger Thomas Crisp, the crew were picked up by the submarine, and last seen lined up on the foredeck. No survivors were found, only a pigeon message picked up saying she was being attacked by a U-boat. It is suggested they were drowned when the U-boat submerged.

 

The two smacks were sunk by UC.63 (Commander Oberleutenant Karsten von Heydebreck) on Wednesday, August 15th 1917 over Jim Howe Bank some time after 2.45pm.

 

UC.63 (Oberleutenant Karsten von Heydebreck) - sunk by Her Majesty’s Submarine E.52 (Albert P Addison, Captain) November 1st 1917, 26 hands lost, one survivor Petty Officer 2nd class Fritz Marshal. Last known position Latitude N51 23.000 Longitude E2 00.000 Goodwin Sands.

UC.63 - Type UC11, Shipyard A G Weser, Breen (Werk 261), ordered 12/01/16, laid down 03/04/16, launched 06/01/17, commissioned 30/01/17.

9 patrols between 27/04/17 and 01/11/17, served with Flandern Flotilla, 36 ships sunk for a total of 36,404 tons.

www.naval-history.net/WW1Memoir-Hales.htm

 

In July, I'll Try was renamed Nelson and Boy Alfred became Ethel & Millie, in an effort to maintain their cover. The boats continued to operate together and Crisp's crew was augmented with two regular seamen and a Royal Marine rifleman, providing the Nelson with a crew of ten, including Crisp and his son. The smacks set out as usual on 15 August and pulled in a catch during the morning before making a sweep near the Jim Howe Bank in search of cruising enemies. At 2.30 pm, Crisp spotted a German U-boat on the surface 6,000 yards (5,500 m) away. The U-boat also sighted the smack and both vessels began firing at once, the U-boat's weapon scoring several hits before Nelson's could be brought to bear. By this stage in the war, German submarine captains were aware of the decoy ship tactics and no longer stopped British merchant shipping, preferring to sink them from a distance with gunfire.

 

With such a heavy disparity in armament between the smack's 3 pounder and the submarine's 88 mm deck gun the engagement was short lived, the submarine firing eight shots before the Nelson could get within range of her opponent. The fourth shot fired by the U-boat holed the smack, and the seventh tore off both of Crisp's legs from underneath him. Calling for the confidential papers to be thrown overboard, Crisp dictated a message to be sent by the boat's four carrier pigeons: like many small ships of the era, the Nelson did not possess a radio set.

"Nelson being attacked by submarine. Skipper killed. Jim Howe Bank. Send assistance at once."

 

The sinking smack was abandoned by the nine unwounded crew, who attempted to remove their captain, who ordered that he should be thrown overboard rather than slow them down. The crew refused to do so, but found they were unable to move him and left him where he lay. He died in his son's arms a few minutes later. It is said that he was smiling as he died and remained so as the ship sank underneath him. The Ethel & Millie had just arrived on the scene as the Nelson sank, and her captain Skipper Charles Manning called for Nelson's lifeboat to come alongside. Realising that this would greatly overcrowd the second boat, the survivors refused and Manning sailed onwards towards the submarine, coming under lethal fire as he did so. His vessel was soon badly damaged and began to sink

 

The crew of the Ethel & Millie then abandoned their battered boat and were hauled aboard the German submarine, where the Nelson survivors last saw them standing in line being addressed by a German officer. The seven British sailors of the Ethel & Millie were never seen again, and much controversy exists surrounding their disappearance. Prevailing opinion at the time was that they were murdered and dumped overboard by the German crew or abandoned at sea without supplies, but these scenarios cannot be substantiated. Another theory is that they were taken prisoner aboard the boat and killed when the submarine was itself sunk. The son of Arthur Soanes, a sailor who disappeared in this incident, later claimed to have contacted his father through his powers as a spiritual medium, reporting that he had died on board the German vessel. UC 63 has been named as the submarine that sank both vessels.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crisp

 

Postscript

 

The 1918 Probate Calendar records that Thomas Crisp of 27 Stanford Street, Lowestoft, Skipper, Royal Naval Reserve, died 15th August 1917 at sea or near Jim Howe Bank buoy. Limited Administration was granted at the Ipswich court on the 15th March 1918 to William Crisp, Grocer. His effects were valued at £435 4s 8d.

probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Crisp&y...

 

A further grant appears in the 1920 Probate, which supersedes the earlier administration order. This was granted on the 27th March 1920 to Thomas William Crisp, mate of a fishing smack. The estate was then worth £345 16s 8d.

probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Crisp&y...

 

1979 – death of Thomas William

 

It may be a co-incidence but the death of a Thomas William Crisp was recorded in the Waveney District of Suffolk in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1979. After several local government re-organisations, the area previously part of Mutford District had become part of Waveney District. By this stage the published register also included the date of birth. In this case it is recorded as the 18th February 1899.

 

The 1979 Probate Calendar records that Thomas William Crisp of 57 Waveney Crescent, Lowestoft, Suffolk died on the 2nd February 1979. Probate was granted at the Ipswich Court on the 23rd May 1979. His estate was valued at £1,327.

probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Crisp&y...

 

Mildly photoshopped to minimise visual impact of damage present on the original image.

Done