Wills, Thomas Percy

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HMS Black Prince Crew List (Photographs)	HMS Black Prince Crew List

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Thomas Percy Wills ON H.M.S.BLACK PRINCE. BURNLEY SEAMAN'S FATE Among the crew of H.M.S. Black Prince, which sank in the North Sea battle last week, with all her officers and men, was Able-Seaman Thomas Percy Wills, aged 20 years, son of Mr. John Henry Wills , of 95 Marlborough Street, Healey Wood, Burnley, engineer at the Stoneyholme gas station of the Corporation. Able-Seaman Wills joined the Navy when fifteen years of age, and would have completed fourteen years' service next November. He had served on H.M.S. Pembroke, and also on the Irresistible, the latter of which has since gone down. He joined the Black Prince in January last year, so that he has been about eighteen months onthe ill-fated cruiser. His parents received a letter from him only last Wednesday. He was quite well when the letter left, and was lookiing eagerly forward to a furlough in two or three weeks time. His father had decided to spend his holidays with him when he got leave, and was making arrangements accordingly when news came of the Black Prince being sunk in the great naval battle. Mr. and Mrs. Wills have received no official news of their son's fate. He was a single man. Mr. and Mrs. J.H. WIlls have six sons. Alfred is with the Royal Engineers in France, Fred is with the R.A.M.C. at Woolwich Hospital, and the other three sons are working away on munitions.	Express and Advertiser 7 June 1916 via Spike Sheldon