Mercantile Marine Medal awarded to awarded to Lieutenant Gordon Murray Croal Thomson RNR (1892-1975). Obverse: Head of King George V (left). Legend: 'GEORGIVS V BRITT : OMN : REX ET IND : IMP:' Reverse: Within a laurel garland in relief, the bow view of a drifter, a ship in the distance (right). Exergue: 'FOR WAR SERVICE MERCANTILE MARINE 1914-1918'. Inscribed on the edge: 'GORDON M.C. THOMSON'. Fitted with a bar and light green and scarlet watered silk ribbon divided by a narrow white stripe. ZBA5918-ZBA5922 are mounted together on a bar.

Born in to a Scottish family living in London in 1892, the teenage Gordon Thomson was clearly not very excited at the prospect of a life in the family stationery business. He began his seagoing career as deck boy on the ‘Dunluce Castle' on 6 November 1908. He progressed to a marine apprenticeship and served as 3rd Officer on the ‘British Monarch’ from November 1913 to February 1915. During the First World War he commanded HMT ‘Bradford’ from 30 April 1915, based in present day Cobh in Southern Ireland. During this time he helped rescue survivors from ‘Lusitania’ sunk on 7th May 1915. He was promoted to Lieutenant (temporary) on 24 June 1916 leaving ‘Bradford’ which was lost a few months later. During 1916 and 1917 he commanded HMT ‘Brock’. At the end of 1917, he moved to Falmouth and served on HMS ‘Dreel Castle’, still in the Auxiliary Patrol, until August 1919. His service in the RNR ended soon after and he became a Third Officer on TSS ‘Themistocles’ of the Aberdeen Line from 1st December 1919 to 14 June 1920. 31 January 1921 he worked as a secretary to the managing director for Morgan Giles, Shipbuilders, Teignmouth. 2 September 1922 married Margaret James Norman at Sidmouth. Thomson died in Exmouth on 12 October 1975, described on his death certificate as ‘retired company secretary’.