Raymond Ambrose Thacker

An Engineman with H.M. Trawler Loch Ard, Raymond died on 10th of September 1917 at the age of 29. 

Raymond was born at Kessingland on 11 April 1888, a son of John and Emily Thacker. He was baptised at Saint Edmund’s Church, Kessingland, on 25 November 1888. In 1891 his family lived at Elm Cottages, London Road, Kessingland. His mother died in 1896 and his father remarried in 1898. By 1911 his father was living at 11 Elm Cottages, Kessingland.  

On 22 November 1908 Raymond married Isabella Stewart Souter at Saint Margaret’s Church, Lowestoft. Raymond was a seaman and they both resided at Rotterdam Road. They moved to Aberdeen, where Raymond worked for the Don Fishing Company, and by July 1914 they were living at 143 Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen. It seems that for a time, during the war, Isabella lived at 40 Lorne Park Road, and then 4 Sunnyside Cottage, The Avenue, Kirkley, before returning to Aberdeen 

Raymond joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 24 July 1914. On 5 August 1914 he joined the requisitioned trawler Aboyne. From 1 May to 30 September 1916 he served on the requisitioned trawler Gunner, a decoy or ‘Q-Ship’. On 1 October 1916 he was drafted back to the requisitioned trawler Loch Ard. On 10 September 1917 the Loch Ard was mined and sank off Lowestoft. Five of the crew, including Raymond, were lost.