| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Tom Hazelhurst was born the 14 Jun 1895 in Beverley and was baptised in Beverley Minster the 4 Aug 1895. He was the only son of Francis and Rhoda Hazelhurst of 45 St Andrew Street, Beverley. He had four sisters, Lilian May, Elsie Annie, Ethel Ellen and Hilda May. At the age of five he attended Minster Moorgate Infants' School and on 1 Jul 1902 transferred to Minster Boys' School. On leaving school he worked as a labourer in the glueworks of Richard Hodgson & Sons in Beverley.
On 1 Dec 1914 he attested with the 3rd Reserve Northumbrian Field Ambulance (part of the Royal Army Medical Corps) which was raised at Wenlock Barracks in Hull. He transferred to the Army Pay Corps in Feb 1915 and was with the British Expeditionary Force in France from May 1915 to Dec 1915. He was made Lance Corporal in Apr 1916. In 1918 he spent time in the Newcastle 1st Northern General Hospital with nephritis originally contracted on active service and on 13 Apr 1918 was discharged as no longer fit for active service. His service record shows that he was "sent home on warrant to await instructions as to his final discharge; he has been given £1 advance and a suit of plain clothes and a great coat.". He was given a pension of 27 shillings 6 pence for four weeks from 5 May 1918 and then 11 shillings.
He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the Victory Medal and the British Star. He was also awarded the Silver War Medal to indicate he had seen service in a theatre of war. In 1916 he married Sarah Eleanor Blair in Newcastle and after discharge he returned to Heaton, near Newcastle. He died in Fawdon, Newcastle on 18 Apr 1964.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |