Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Admiral Charles W. Bonham RN (Retired), born 1818 in London, Middx., and his wife Kate, born 1835 in Stroud, Glos. Thomas Parry was born on the 31st March 1873 in London, Middx, he had one sibling, a brother Charles B., born 1872. In April 1881 the family home was at 16, St. John’s Park, St. Helens, Isle of Wight, Hants. In March 1901 Thomas was a Lieutenant, serving with the Royal Navy and was residing in the family home at Montague House, Dover Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Hants., together with his parents. In April 1911 Thomas was a Captain, serving with the Royal Navy and was stationed at 27a, Penny Street, Portsmouth, Hants. Thomas’s service record began when he joined his Training Ship HMS Britannia, 15/1/1886. HMS Northumberland, 10/1/1888. Assigned rank of Midshipman, 15/2/1888. HMS Camperdown, 19/7/1889. HMS Trafalgar, 2/4/1890. HMS Calypso, 1/7/1891. Promoted to Sub Lieutenant, 31/3/1892. HMS Swiftsure, 21/7/1892. Promoted to Lieutenant, 31/3/1893. HMS Victory, 11/7/1893. HMS Volege, 4/10/1893. HMS Empress of India, 5/10/1894. HMS Apollo, 8/7/1896. HMS Alexandra, 15/7/1897. HMS Vernon, 2/8/1897. HMS Caesar, 13/12/1898. HMS Hecla, 16/7/01. Promoted to Commander, 30/6/03. HMS Vernon, 30/6/03. HMS Powerful, 21/7/03. HMS Vernon, 23/2/04. HMS Terrible, 21/6/04. HMS Albion, 1904. HMS Vernon, 1906. Promoted to Captain, 30/6/09. HMS Hecla, 19/10/10. HMS Blonde, 17/5/11. HMS Naiad, 20/8/12. HMS President, 11/2/14. HMS Black Prince, 22/1/16. Killed in action in the North Sea on the 31/5/16.
The background relating to the circumstances in which Thomas lost his life are as follows; HMS Black Prince was modified in March 1916 as a result of lessons learned at the Battle of Coronel, with the 6-inch guns removed from their casemates and replaced by six 6-inch guns mounted individually behind shields between the beam 9.2-inch turrets. The ship participated in the Battle of Jutland, where she was sunk with heavy loss of life. The circumstances under which she sank were mysterious for some years after. As the British had lost contact and did not see the ship destroyed, they were unsure as to whether a submarine or surface ship was responsible for sinking the HMS Black Prince. During the battle, the First Cruiser Squadron was deployed as part of a screening force several miles ahead of the main force of the Grand Fleet, but HMS Black Prince lost contact with the rest of the Squadron as it came into contact with German forces, at about 5.42pm. Soon after, two other members of the First Cruiser Squadron, HMS Defence and HMS Warrior were heavily engaged by German battleships and battle cruisers, with HMS Defence blowing up and HMS Warrior receiving heavy damage, which later caused her to sink. There were no positive sightings of HMS Black Prince by the British fleet after that, although a wireless signal from her was received at 8.45pm, reporting a submarine sighting. During the night of the 31st May–1st June, the British destroyer HMS Spitfire, badly damaged after colliding with the German battleship Nassau, sighted what appeared to be a German battle cruiser, with two widely spaced funnels, described as being “a mass of fire from foremast to mainmast, on deck and between decks. Flames were issuing out of her from every corner.” The mystery ship exploded at about midnight. It was later thought that the burning ship may have been HMS Black Prince, with the two midship’s funnels having collapsed or been shot away. Recent historians, however, hold to the German account of the ship's sinking. HMS Black Prince briefly engaged the German battleship Rheinland at about 11.35pm GMT, scoring two hits with 6-inch shells. Separated from the rest of the British fleet, HMS Black Prince approached the German lines at approximately midnight. She turned away from the German battleships, but it was too late. The German battleship Thuringen fixed the HMS Black Prince in her searchlights and opened fire. Up to five other German ships, including battleships Nassau, Ostfriesland and Friedrich der Grosse, joined in the bombardment, with return fire from HMS Black Prince being ineffective. Most of the German ships were between 750 and 1500 yards of the HMS Black Prince, effectively point blank range for contemporary naval gunnery. HMS Black Prince was hit by at least twelve heavy shells and several smaller ones, sinking within 15 minutes. There were no survivors from HMS Black Prince’s crew, all 857 being killed.