| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Tom was born in Beverley in Nov 1887, and by the age of 14 was employed as a tanners' labourer. In Nov 1904, just days after his 17th birthday, stating his age as 18 years, Tom enlisted to serve nine years in the Regular Army in the 2nd Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment. There is no record of him having served overseas during that time, and in the 1911 census he is shown as being in the Dettinger Barracks, Farnborough, Hants. In Jun 1912 he was transferred to Reserves and on 3 Jun he was appointed to the East Riding Constabulary.
Tom was recommended to the Constabulary by Lady Boynton of Cherry Burton. He did not serve very long with the Police; his first posting was to Norton, and on 1 Nov 1912 he voluntarily resigned. When he married Theresa Collingwood on 3 Jul 1913 in Bishop Burton, he gave his occupation as a rullyman. Their son, also Tom, was born on 21 May 1914, and their address was Fountain Road, Hull.
When war was declared, as a reservist, Tom was mobilized at Pontefract on 5 Aug 1914: on 9 Sep he embarked for France, where the Battalion took part in action on the Aisne Heights. He was appointed Lance Corporal on 7 Oct 1914, was seriously wounded through his left arm on 21 Oct and was repatriated on 24 Oct 1914. Tom did not return to the Front, but continued to serve in the York & Lancaster Regiment until Apr 1916, when he was transferred to the Northumberland Fusiliers; attaining the rank of Lance Sergeant in Aug 1916, and transferred to the West Yorkshire Regiment in Feb 1917. He was demobilized in Apr 1919.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |