| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Tom was born in Beverley in 1895 the son of Tom and Emma Eliza Pearson, living in Holme Church Lane and then Beaver Road, Beverley. Tom followed in his father’s footsteps and was working at a Beverley shipbuilders as a “Marker Off” at 15 years old. He joined the United Society of Boilermakers and Iron Shipbuilders.
Tom was a pre-war territorial with 5th Yorkshire Regiment and his formal enlistment took place in Aug 1915. The Regiment had been in France for exactly a year when Tom was posted to join them in Apr 1916, they were holding the line around Kemmel, south of Ypres. Tom's service record does not mention he was a Signaller but having served 6 months in France 21 year old Tom was called back to England to return to shipbuilding at Cook, Welton and Gemmell in Beverley where he worked for the remainder of the war.
On 22 Dec 1917 Tom married Alice Maud Wilkinson at St Nicholas church, Beverley and the couple moved to 5 Denton Street, Beverley. Their first child, Norah was born in 1919 and was baptized at St Nicholas church, as was their daughter, Edna born 1928. The family had moved to 14 Schofield Avenue. Daughter, Rita was born in 1930 and baptized at Beverley, St John. Tom’s occupation was shown as boilermaker and then ship’s plater. The 1939 Register shows ship plater Tom, Alice, Norah and Rita living at 14 Schofield Avenue, with Norah working as a shorthand typist.
After Alice died in 1950 Tom married Minnie, and continued to live in Schofield Avenue until his death in 1976 aged 80.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |