Thomas Crisp

Thomas Crisp
Thomas Crisp, VC
Born	28 April 1876 Lowestoft, Suffolk, England
Died	15 August 1917 (aged 41) Naval smack Nelson, North Sea, off Humber Estuary, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1915–1917
Rank	Skipper
Unit	Royal Naval Reserve
Commands held	HM Armed Smack Nelson
Battles/wars	First World War Naval campaign North Sea campaign Action of 15 August 1917  (DOW)
Awards	Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Cross

Thomas Crisp VC, DSC, RNR (28 April 1876 – 15 August 1917) was an English sailor and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. Crisp, in civilian life a commercial fisherman operating from Lowestoft in Suffolk, earned his award after being killed during the defence of his vessel, the armed naval smack Nelson, in the North Sea against an attack from a German submarine in 1917.^[1]

Crisp's self-sacrifice in the face of this "unequal struggle" was used by the government to bolster morale during some of the toughest days of the First World War for Britain, in late 1917, during which Britain was suffering heavy losses at the Battle of Passchendaele.^[2] His exploit was read aloud by David Lloyd George in the Houses of Parliament and made headline news for nearly a week.