Cabin Boy Thomas Richard Stevenson served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. He was the son of Thomas Stevenson and Edith Stevenson of Annaghmore, Co. Armagh.
He died on 2nd July 1941 aged 18 years old on S.S. Toronto City. The Bristol-built vessel saw use by the Admiralty as a ‘Weather Ship’ used to gather meteorological information. Toronto City served along with S.S. Arakaka in highly classified operations. Together, the vessels became known as ‘The Panthers’. At 1825hrs on 1st July 1941, U-108, under the command of Fregattenkapitän Klaus Scholtz, launched a single G7e torpedo at S.S. Toronto City. The vessel went down by the bow in under 3 minutes in the North Atlantic without sending any distress signal. S.S. Arakaka had gone down in a similar fashion only 11 days earlier.
After the sinking of Toronto City and Arakaka, some asked why these duties fell to Merchant vessels rather than armed Royal Navy vessels. Operations remained so secretive that it may never become clear why the Admiralty chose these two “Panthers”. Between October 1940 and June 1941, S.S. Toronto City completed 6 voyages.
Thomas Richard Stevenson has no known grave. His name is on Panel 109 of the Tower Hill Memorial, London, England.