Mr Thomas Henry Michael Palles was born at Upper Beau Street, Everton, Liverpool, England on 8 May 1867.
He was the son of an Irish father, joiner Michael Palles1 (b. circa 1835), a window blind maker, and an English mother, the former Catherine Higginbottom (b. circa 1843), a native of Liverpool, who were married in 1865.
The elder of two surviving children from a total of four, Palles’ siblings were: Henry Thomas (1866-1866), Ellen Catherine (1869-1872) and Emily (1872-1945, later Mrs James Edwards)2. His brother Henry died from croup before reaching his first birthday, whilst sister Ellen died aged three, possibly from meningitis.
Thomas first appears on the 1871 census living at an address in Toxteth Park, West Derby, Liverpool with his parents and sister Ellen. At the time of the 1881 census, the family were living at a tenement on Hampton Street, Toxteth Park, a household including his grandmother Catherine Higginbottom and younger sister Emily; his father was by then described as a Venetian blind maker and his mother as a housekeeper.
Palles is not listed at the time of the 1891 census but his parents were living at 3 Windsor Street, Toxteth Park. He lost his father in August 1896 and by the time of the 1901 census, his widowed mother was listed as living by her own means at 7 Windsor Street, Southampton, with Thomas again absent. Thomas is again unlisted at the time of the 1911 census, but his mother was recorded at 45 Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool with her married daughter Emily Edwards and her family.
A seafarer of 14 years by 1912, Palles was aboard Titanic for her delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton; when he signed on in Southampton for the maiden voyage his address was recorded as 25 Upper Palmer Street, Liverpool3 and his previous ship as the Ivernia. As a greaser, he could expect to earn monthly wages of £6, 10s.
Thomas Palles, who was unmarried, was lost in the Titanic disaster. His body, if recovered, was never identified.
His mother, although modestly assisted by the Titanic Relief Fund, took her case to the court to be recognised as a full-dependent on her son.
TITANIC COMPENSATION CLAIM
Widow’s Dependency upon Her Son
A case which sought to set up dependency upon one of the victims of the Titanic disaster came before his Honor Judge Thomas, at the Liverpool County Court, yesterday. Mrs Catherine Palles, widow, of 45 Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool, applied for an award under the Workmen’s Compensation Act in respect of her son, Thomas Henry Michael Palles, who was a greaser on the Titanic.
Mr Caradoc Rees (instructed by Mr W. H. B. Quilliam) was the for applicant, and Mr A. Hyslop Maxwell (instructed by Messrs Hill, Dickinson and Co) represented the respondents, the White Star Line.
Applicant is 69 years of age, said Mr Rees, and resided with her daughter and son-in-law, who are in good circumstances. For 14 years deceased had been a seafaring man in the engine room department, staying with his relatives on his visits to Liverpool. Although he did not pay directly for his mother’s maintenance, he gave her sums of money (never less than £2) on each of his visits, and paid for her holidays and for medical attendance if she were ill. Counsel estimated the financial value of his help at not less than £26 a year. He asked the Judge to say that there was total dependency, in which case the amount of compensation would be £294, 15s.
Mrs Palles and her daughter gave evidence as to the sum of money given to the former by the deceased.
The defence was that the mother was only a partial dependent upon the deceased, as a sum of £36 had been paid into Court to cover liability. Mr Maxwell submitted that this was sufficient to satisfy the claims of the applicant, who clearly had not looked to her son for support.
Mr Rees pointed out that the applicant was becoming old, and probably would require larger sums in the future for medical attendance, the cost of which had always been borne by the deceased.
Mr Maxwell－There will be the old age pension.
His Honour made an award of £40.
His mother Catherine continued to live in Liverpool and died there on 27 November 1918. Thomas is remembered on his parent's headstone in Toxteth Park Cemetery, Liverpool:
".... Also Thomas (Tommy),
The Dearly Loved And Only Son of the Above
Who was lost on the R.M.S. TITANIC
15th April 1912,
Aged 43 Years
Nearer My God To Thee..."
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