BORN HULL 19/03/1888. SON OF WILLIAM THORNTON (1863-1933) AND ALICE MARIA WHITING (1863-1927). SON OF AN ENGINE DRIVER, FOR THE NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LINE.HE HAD FOUR BROTHERS AND A SISTER. HE LIVED AT 70 FAXLEY ROAD, SELBY, 27 HILDA STREET, GOOLE & 70 PASTURE ROAD, GOOLE. (NAVAL RECORDS ADDRESS). SERVED ON HMS “GOOD HOPE”. KILLED IN THE ACTION OF CORONEL, OF THE COAST OF CHILI, ON 01/11/1915, AGED 26. COMMEMORATED ON THE PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL.
HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, PTE, ALFRED HASSEL THORNTON, 1/5TH WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT, WAS KILLED AT YPRES, ON 11/06/1916, AGED 26.
THEY ARE BOTH LISTED IN THE DE RUVIGNY ROLL OF HONOUR, VOLUMES 1 & 2 .
The Battle of Coronel HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth were sunk by the German fleet (Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee), superior in both shell range and speed. Armoured cruisers Gneisenau and Sharnhorst lead the main attacks in the Battle of Coronel, on 1 November 1914, off the Chilean coast. Monmouth was hit by Gneisenau and was on fire. Nurnberg found her burning and after refusing to surrender, Nurnberg finished her off with 75 shells. All hands on both cruisers HMS Good Hope (900) and HMS Monmouth (678) were lost. HMS Glasgow and HMS Otranto escaped. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?138092
