THOMAS WARD, JR., MIDN, USN
Thomas Ward, Jr. '03
Lucky Bag
From the 1903 Lucky Bag:
THOMAS WARD, Jr.
Oswego, New York
"Tommy," "Touge," "Duke."
Buzzard (21, 1). Hop Committee (2). Chairman Class Ring Committee. Crest Committee. Minstrel Show (2). Lucky Bag art editor. Choir (2, 1). Steerage mess, U. S. S. "Indiana." Would be all right if he was not afraid of ruining his reputation. Tells a good story, draws a good picture, and enjoys a good time. Attempted to drown the watchman by way of a joke. One of the boys who did not haze. Senior member of the "Santee" squad: "Who are you, there, grinning like a chessy cat?"
THOMAS WARD, Jr.
Oswego, New York
"Tommy," "Touge," "Duke."
Buzzard (21, 1). Hop Committee (2). Chairman Class Ring Committee. Crest Committee. Minstrel Show (2). Lucky Bag art editor. Choir (2, 1). Steerage mess, U. S. S. "Indiana." Would be all right if he was not afraid of ruining his reputation. Tells a good story, draws a good picture, and enjoys a good time. Attempted to drown the watchman by way of a joke. One of the boys who did not haze. Senior member of the "Santee" squad: "Who are you, there, grinning like a chessy cat?"
Loss
Thomas was lost on April 13, 1904 when the port 12" gun in the aft turret aboard Missouri (Battleship No. 11) flared backwards, ignited three propellant charges, and started a fire. Thirty-five others were also lost.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Thomas was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Chickering in April 1899.
When his sister Bessie married in Oswego in November 1903, the ushers were Thomas and William F. J. Neumann ('03), and Captain Philip R. Ward (West Point.)
Thomas' father General Thomas Ward was an Army assistant adjutant-general who retired in 1903. His mother was Katharine (Mott.) His sisters were Bessie/Elizabeth (Mrs. Edwin Allen Stebbins) and Katharine. His brothers were Thomas Mott Ward who died as an infant in 1874, Philip, Elliot, and John.
He is buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery next to his classmate, William Neumann '03, who was also lost in this incident. Thomas was survived by his parents, a brother, and two sisters. (One of his sisters, Catherine, was engaged to be married to William.)
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
January 1904
Related Articles
In addition to William Neumann '03, William Davidson '95 and Ernest Weichert '99 were also lost in this incident.
Memorial
Thomas' and William's classmates erected a plaque to their honor in Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
