During World War II, Thomas Parker White was in the Merchant Navy transporting goods across the Atlantic, often travelling in convoys as protection against U-boat attacks.
As a crew member, he was listed as a ‘donkey man’. This was ‘an individual responsible for the Donkey engine, a steampowered winch engine, which could be used to load or unload cargo, raise larger sails, or power pumps. It was invented in 1881’. (Maritime History Archive – https://mha.mun.ca/mha)
In late 1941, Thomas was the eldest crew member, aged 40 years old, travelling on a ship called the SS Baron Erskine. The ship was carrying rock and super phosphates from Florida.
