Able Seaman
John Henry Thomas
CLOWES
Royal Navy
25
John Clowes was born in Churchover, Rugby in Warwickshire on 8 October 1895, the son of Thomas Clowes (a railway rolling stock inspector) and Louisa Clowes (née Smith). He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman at HMS VIVID (the Royal Naval Barracks) at Devonport on 30 July 1913 and served in the battleship HMS PRINCE OF WALES from 1 October 1913 to 5 April 1917, firstly in the Channel Fleet and then in the Mediterranean.
He qualified as an Able Seaman at HMS VERNON on 6 July 1917 and then joined submarines at HMS TITANIA on 12 November 1917. He then served in HMS DOLPHIN followed by HMS TARLAIR ‘for Submarine B3’ from 27 April 1918 to 16 November 1918. TARLAIR and B3 were used to conduct comparison trials between various different designs of hydrophones. John Clowes next joined HMS DOLPHIN, the Submarine Flotilla Leader HMS ROYAL ARTHUR and then HMS K3 from 23 April 1919 to 10 September 1919 followed by HMS ROYAL ARTHUR (again), HMS PANDORA & HMS K5 from 24 October 1919 to 20 January 1921.
HMS K5 was lost with all hands on 20 June 1921 whilst conducting exercises with the rest of the Submarine Flotilla in the North Atlantic. It is thought that the submarine accidentally exceeded her designed diving depth and was crushed by the sea pressure.
John Clowes was the husband of Jessie Jane Clowes (née Walls) of Morningside in Edinburgh and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 32. There was one son – Thomas Henry Clowes.
One Response
My Grandfather was friends with Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke, famous for model making who lived at 78 Derngate Northampton designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
After my Grandfather died my Grandmother was presented with a model of K5 in a glass case. Sadly when my father Thomas Clowes died, it was thrown away !!! .
I am very proud of my Grandfather, and display his photograph on my wall along with a set of replica medals I had made, along with a picture of the K5 with all hands, I contacted the Submarine Museum some years ago they gave me a lot of very useful information and we exchanged photographs.
My Grandmother Jessie died at the age of 98. She was born in 1890 in Sterlingshire Scotland.
I hope you find this interesting.
As you can see Thomas runs through the family.
In this photo, John Clowes is sitting on the upper deck with his back against the rail.