The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Memorial honour for wartime teenager who saved vital codebooks
A town square has been named in honour of a teenager whose heroics retrieving vital documents at sea helped to shorten the Second World War.
The regenerated centre of North Shields, North Tyneside, has been named after Thomas Brown following a public vote.
Aged just 15, he was awarded the George Medal while he was a civilian on a warship for helping to retrieve codebooks from a sinking enemy submarine.
They were later used to crack the Enigma codes by experts at Bletchley Park, enabling the British to decipher Nazi messages.
Two men died while searching the stricken vessel but Thomas survived and saved the books from the sea.
More than 30 family members were at the unveiling of a
6ft 6in granite memorial.
The inscription reads: “A memorial to Thomas Brown GM.
“A North Shields boy who helped shorten World War Two by capturing vital Enigma code books from a sinking German U-boat.
“Two of Thomas’ shipmates drowned in the operation carried out from HMS Petard during October 1942 in the Mediterranean.
“Thomas was awarded the George Medal but died before he could receive it.
“The medal was presented to his mother by King George VI in 1945.”
Thomas died in a house fire before he could receive his medal.
His proud niece Lynn Melville said: “Lots of people in North Shields still don’t know his story and we want to change that.”
His nephew Andrew Miller said how Thomas ran away to sea after lying about his age.
He said: “He was a civilian who worked on board the HMS Petard in the canteen service.
“What’s more, when he signed up for the NAAFI he lied about his age, he’d only just turned 15.”
Mr Miller said: “When he jumped from the Petard into the water, we don’t know if he’d asked permission or if he was supposed to be accompanying the two naval men. As far as we know Thomas just appeared on deck and joined them. “The submarine was sinking. It went down with the two men inside.
“The papers had to stay dry and Thomas did manage to protect them.
“He got them back on board the HMS Petard so they could go on to Bletchley Park where they were used to crack the naval Enigma code.
“We don’t know why Thomas took such a big risk. But when you’re 15 you don’t think anything’s going to happen to you.”
The family pieced together his story which was subject to the Official Secrets Act until 1992.