Navy News
Direct from the front-line, the official newspaper of the Royal Navy, Navy News, brings you the latest news, features and award winning photos every month.
Tyneside reservists learn of Great War forebears’ experience on the Western Front
2 December 2025
The family of a Tyneside sailor shared his Great War experiences with his modern-day successors when they visited HMS Calliope
The descendants of Thomas Marshall Thompson brought an often forgotten chapter in naval history back to life for the Gateshead-based naval reservists through the papers and memories of the WW1 sailor – whose active career only lasted a couple of months.
Thomas was one of hundreds of thousands of Britons who volunteered in August 1914 when the Great War broke out.
He enlisted at the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve’s Tyneside Headquarters – forerunner of today’s Calliope – as an Ordinary Seaman.
There were more volunteers for Naval Service than seagoing positions, so ‘surplus’ sailors and officers were hurriedly trained as naval infantry, brought together in the newly-formed Royal Naval Division and sent to the fledgling Western Front to support the Army – in particular to prevent the port of Antwerp falling into German hands.
The sailor soldiers were in action no more than seven days – and were unable to prevent Antwerp’s fall.
Some sailors managed to escape encirclement, but most of the 1,500-strong naval detachment was trapped. Rather than face imprisonment, their commander, Commodore Wilfred Henderson, took the difficult decision to march his men into neutral Holland where they were interned for the duration of the war – more than four years.
Thomas was interned near the town at Groningen in a camp consisting of wooden huts which became known as HMS Timbertown.
As the men were internees and not prisoners of war, they were allowed to return to the United Kingdom on leave for family occasions or to help with the harvest, provided that they returned to the camp when their leave ended.
At the war’s end, Thomas returned to the United Kingdom. According to his service record, he demobilised at HMS Helicon (formerly the third HMS Calliope), the drill ship used by reservists on Tyneside at the time.
He went on to have 13 children, including Pam Bolam. “Our family was interested in finding out more about our father’s wartime service, so I contacted the team at HMS Calliope. They hosted us at their unit in Gateshead and we got to share stories and experiences with them,” she said.
Commander David King, Calliope’s Commanding Officer, added: “We are delighted and honoured that the Thompson family reached out to us to share their story.
“I am so proud of HMS Calliope’s heritage and see it as a priority to maintain those strong links with the local community. The Thomson family’s story shows what a pivotal role Calliope has played in people’s lives across the North-East.”
Mrs Bolam was one of seven of Thomas Thompson’s children who made the pilgrimage to London to attend the rededication of the RN Division’s Memorial on Horse Guard’s Parade last month.
“Our family is pleased to have been given the chance to attend this service. It was a privilege, and we are proud that our father’s wartime service is very much recognised and valued by today’s Royal Navy,” she said.
The Royal Navy Division was reconstituted after Antwerp and went on to serve with distinction at Gallipoli, the Somme, Arras, Third Ypres and the Somme again. Its casualties in those battles accounted for 40 per cent of the Senior Service’s losses in WW1.