Thomas Wilkinson, VC (1 August 1898 – 14 February 1942) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

sailor and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Wilkinson was 43 years old, and a temporary

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

On 14 February 1942 in the Java Sea, off Malaya, , a patrol vessel, formerly a passenger steamer, commanded by Lieutenant Wilkinson, sighted two enemy convoys, one escorted by Japanese warships, The lieutenant told his crew he had decided to engage the convoy and fight to the last in the hope of inflicting some damage, a decision that drew resolute support from the whole ship's crew. In the action that followed, a Japanese transport was set on fire and abandoned, and ''Li Wo'' engaged a
heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
for over an hour before being hit at point-blank range and sunk. Lieutenant Wilkinson ordered his crew to abandon ship, but he went down with ''Li Wo''.

His VC is in the Imperial War Museum.

Gallery

Halton VC Memorial.jpg, Memorial in Victoria Park, Widnes HMS Li Wo (MOD 408).jpg, Scale model of HMS ''Li Wo''

References

External links

CWGC entry
1898 births 1942 deaths British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Captains who went down with the ship Military personnel from Lancashire People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire People from Widnes Royal Naval Reserve personnel Royal Navy officers of World War II Royal Navy personnel killed in World War II Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross {{UK-navy-bio-stub