Thomas was born on 30 May 1898, the first child of Thomas Eckford and Alice (née Kelly) Powell of 141, Manor Place, St. Saviour, Southwark, London and Surrey. A sister Winifred (1900) and a brother Francis (1909) completed the family who by 1911 had moved to the borough of Tooting, Wandsworth.

Thomas joined the Royal Navy on Tuesday 2 March 1915 when he crossed the gangway of HMS POWERFUL, the “Boy Training Ship” in Devonport dockyard, and became a Boy Second Class. On 2 May 1915 he crossed the gangway onto HMS IMPREGNABLE (ex HMS HOWE), another “Boy Training Ship” in the dockyard, where on 26 June he was selected for the Telegraphist branch and rated Boy Telegraphist.  He was drafted to HMS VERNON in Portsmouth on 22 July for a further 2 months training after which a draft on 17 September to HMS MAIDSTONE in Harwich completed a very busy year. On 13 January 1916 he was made an Ordinary Telegraphist before returning to Portsmouth and HMS DOLPHIN for a month of submarine training and upon completion a draft back to MAIDSTONE on 25 March 1916.

On the 1 December 1916, E37 departed Harwich in company with HMS E54 for a patrol in the North Sea. Around 2300 that night E54 recorded in its log book an explosion and felt a violet shock on its hull. E37 was never heard from or seen again and it is thought she had hit a floating mine.

Thomas Eckford Powell,  Ord Tel,  Svc No. J36110 aged 18 had “Crossed The Bar”, one of the 30 crew members who disappeared that night. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial on Panel 17.