Henry Thompson Blatherwick

Henry was the son of Henry Thompson and Ada Blatherwick. Henry and Ada might not have married as no record of a marriage has yet been traced although Ada's name was given on the 1911 Census as 'Ada Blatherwick.' The registrations of the births of their eight surviving children who were named on the census gave the children's second names and surnames as either 'Thompson Blatherwick' or 'T Blatherwick.' The eight children named on the 1911 Census were: Frank Henry b. 1894, Robert b. 1895, Henry b. 14 November 1897, Arthur b. 1900, John b. 1902, George b. 1905, Leonard b. 1907 and Ada Sarah b. 1910. All the children were born in Nottingham. Another daughter may have been born after 1911 as there is a registration of the birth of a Gertrude T Blatherwick, mother's maiden name Blatherwick, in 1912. Gertrude died in 1918 aged 6. Henry and Ada were living at 12 Leicester Street, St Ann's, in 1901 with their four children, Frank (6), Robert (5), Henry 3) and Arthur (11 months). Also in the household was a lodger, Eliza Sansom (70). On this census Ada and the children had the surname Thompson and Ada was described as Henry's wife. By 1911 the family had moved to 23 Edwin Street, Nottingham. Henry Thompson (54), a bobbin and carriage hand (lace machine), completed the census with the information that he was married (18 years) and the eight children in his household were his sons and daughter. He and Ada had had nine children of whom eight survived. The children's second names and surnames were given as 'Blatherwick Thompson'. Frank was a coal miner at Wollaton pit, Robert was working in the warehouse of a paper manufacturer, Henry worked for the post office, Arthur, John (8) and George (6) were at school while the two youngest children, Leonard (3) and Ada (1), were under school age. It is probable that Henry Thompson died at the end of 1913 or early in 1914 as there is the death of a Henry Thompson (b. abt. 1856) was registered in the first quarter of 1914. Ada was living at 31 Edwin Street when she was notified of her son's death in October 1914. Henry's younger brother, Arthur (Blatherwick), enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters on 2 September 1915; he was 15 years old but claimed to be 19 years 4 months. He served at home until 10 March 1916 (196 days) when he was discharged 'having made a misstatement as to age on enlistment vide para 392 Kings Regulations Auth. OIC Infantry Records Litchfield, 10 March 1916.' He had named his mother, Ada (Blatherwick) of 31 Edwin Street, Nottingham, as his next of kin. Ada probably died at the age of 54 in 1927.

In 1911 he was working for the Post Office and was a telegraph messenger, and presumably still with the Post Office when he joined the Royal Navy in August 1913.

HMS Hawke Henry joined the Royal Navy on 26 August 1913 as a Boy 2nd Class. Had he survived he would have entered on a 12 year engagement on his 18th birthday, 14 November 1915. He served in the following ships and shore establishments: HMS Ganges, 26 August 1913-14 April 1914 (Boy Second Class, Boy 1st Class 21 March 1914); HMS Hawke, 15 April 1914-15 October 1914. His Naval record was annotated, ‘NP 2493/14. DD 15 October 1914. Lost in North Sea when HMS Hawke was sunk by a German submarine.’ His body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. HMS Hawke was part of 10th Cruiser Squadron deployed in October 1914 as part of efforts to stop German warships from attacking a troop convoy from Canada. On 15th October, the squadron was on patrol off Aberdeen, deployed in line abreast at intervals of about 10 miles. Hawke stopped at 9:30 am to pick up mail from sister ship Endymion. After recovering her boat with the mail, Hawke proceeded at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) without zig-zagging to regain her station, and was out of sight of the rest of the Squadron when at 10:30 a single torpedo from the German submarine U-9 (which had sunk three British cruisers on 22 September), struck Hawke, which quickly capsized. The remainder of the squadron only realised anything was amiss when, after a further, unsuccessful attack on Theseus, the squadron was ordered to retreat at high speed to the northwest, and no response to the order was received from Hawke. The destroyer Swift was dispatched from Scapa Flow to search for Hawke and found a raft carrying one officer and twenty-one men, while a boat with a further forty-nine survivors was rescued by a Norwegian steamer. 524 officers and men died, including the ship's captain, Hugh P. E. T. Williams, with only 70 survivors (one man died of his wounds on 16th October). Wikipedia

Nottingham Evening Post, ‘In Memoriam’, 15 October 1915: ‘Blatherwick. In loving memory of (-) Harry, lost in the Hawke, October 15th, 1914. (-) him most who loved him best. Mother (-).’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘In Memoriam’, 14 October 1916: ‘Blatherwick. In loving memory of Harry Thompson Blatherwick, lost with HMS Hawke, October 15th, 1914. Forget you no we never will, we loved you then, we love you still. Mother and brothers.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)