| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
On 9 Oct 1898 Thomas Arthur Ellerington was baptised at Paull Parish Church, the 6th child born to police officer William Walker Ellerington and Edith Annie, nee Stephenson. The family are recorded as living in a number of police houses including those at South Cave, North Bar Beverley, and Leven.
In Feb 1915 Thomas enlisted at Scarborough with the 9th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment. He gave his occupation as butcher on his army service record, and his age as 19 years and 5 months, two years older than his true age. Thomas was entitled to the 1914-1915 Star having arrived in the Balkans in Nov 1915 but his Battalion continued on to Egypt a month later and it was from Alexandria in Jun 1916 that Thomas began the journey to France arriving in Marseille early in July.
The following month Thomas became ill with Albuminuria, a debilitating condition that affected a significant number of WW1 soldiers though the exact cause was not known. He was hospitalised in France before being transferred to 1st Southern General Hospital, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Thomas was in hospital for 40 days and then remained in England on home service, which included a period on the Tyne Garrison stationed at Whitley Bay and a three month attachment to the Royal Munster Fusiliers in Cork. He rejoined 9th West Yorkshire Battalion and returned to France in Aug 1917. In Dec 1918 he was promoted to Corporal and his service record reports his military character as very good. Overall Thomas served more than 4 years in the army, half of which he spent on the Western Front in France.
Thomas’s elder brother, Francis had emigrated to the United States in 1912 and shortly after demobilisation Thomas was sailing on the SS Carmania from Liverpool to New York to join him. The Rochester Directory of 1932 shows Thomas with his wife Martha and the 1940 United States Federal Census records Thomas is listed as a salesman for a sewing machine company, Martha was born in Massachusetts and the couple owned a house in Geneva, Ontario, New York State with 3 lodgers.
Thomas’s wife Martha died in 1973 and was buried at Glenwood Cemetery, Geneva, Ontario. Thomas was also buried there when he died in May 1980 at the age of 81.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |