Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, to Harriet Goldthorp (née Whiteley) and Tom Goldthorp on 2 February 1878, Ernest Anthony Goldthorp’s mother died in 1888, when he was just ten years old, and she aged just 31 years. Ernest already had an older brother, who later moved to Hull as recorded in the 1891 Census, and who had married Charlotte Emma Robinson and is indicated as having 4 children by 1899.

When applying to join the Royal Navy in 1895, Ernest stated that he had been born on 2 August 1876 thereby changing his Date of Birth and making himself out to be 19 years and 2 weeks old at the time, comfortably over the minimum age of eighteen required to join the Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 16 August 1895 (his actual age at the time being 17 years 6 months). It appears he then spent his life in the Navy with his new employer believing him to be eighteen months older than his actual age. On signing up to serve for 12 years in the Royal Navy on 16 August, Ernest declared his brother, William Whiteley, to be his Next of Kin to be informed in case of his Death. The motives for these anomalies in the records at the time of his recruitment remain unclear.

Ernest Goldthorp appears to have thrived in his new circumstances, moving steadily through initial shore and sea training in the rating of Stoker 2nd Class. His training continued at sea in joining HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN on 18 February 1896 and resulted in his qualification as Stoker 1st Class on 1 May 1896.

After service in various ships and regions of the world, Ernest gained sufficient experience and training to be promoted to Leading Stoker 2nd Class on 24 April 1902 and to be rated Leading Stoker 1st Class from 9 October 1903. By this time, he had joined the Royal Navy Submarine Service and was serving in HMS A5 then building in Barrow-in-Furness.

He was a member of the crew when A5 and her tender, HMS HAZARD, sailed to Queenstown, (now Cobh) in the Republic of Ireland. On 16 February 1905, whilst berthed alongside HMS HAZARD, an explosion occurred on board, with a second explosion about 30 minutes later. Six of the crew were killed by these explosions, including Leading Stoker 1st Class Ernest Goldthorp, who was buried in Old Church Cemetery near Cobh, with full military honours.