William Thomas — Portrait Of Pembridge

William Thomas, Private, 1st Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry

Above photo: William Thomas (Leominster District Roll of Honour, courtesy of Keith Watson)

William Thomas was born in 1887 at Brook Farm, Lyonshall. He was the son of James and Amelia Thomas.

Above photo: Brook Farm, today (1)

In the 1891 census, William Thomas is residing with his parents and two older sisters and one older brother in a dwelling with four or less rooms (including kitchen) in Lower Hardwick. William’s father, James, is employed as a farm labourer.

By 1901, William is living with his father and mother at Marston, his older sisters and brother residing elsewhere. His father is now working as a “waggoner on farm”. A waggoner was entirely responsible for care of horses under his control and attended to the watering, feeding and bedding of the horses as well as harnessing them and driving them in accordance with whatever work was to be undertaken - ploughing, reaping, harrowing and carting.

The 1911 census records that William Thomas was now himself a waggoner at The Lowe, Marston. He was to remain in this employment until May 1916.

Above photo: Lowe Farm, Marston, today (2)

A report in the Kington Times dated 8th April 1916 states the following -

“KINGTON RURAL LOCAL TRIBUNAL

A meeting of the above tribunal was held on Friday last...” (3)

It then goes on to list the members of the tribunal’s panel whose job it was to decide on who should or should not be given a military exemption.

“The panels were usually made up of eight or nine local dignitaries, mostly men who did not have that much in the way of legal experience and someone from the military.” (4)

Probably, it was William Thomas's employer at Lowe Farm who had put William Thomas’s name up to this tribunal on the grounds that his employee was too important for the working of the farm and that therefore this employee should be exempted from military service as his work should be categorised as a Scheduled (or reserved) Occupation. These occupations would include coal miners, doctors, and those working in the iron and steel industries which produced vital ammunition and equipment for the war and, depending upon circumstances, some others.

The above-mentioned Kington Times report then goes on to state -

“William Thomas, Lowe Farm, Pembridge, waggoner. Star to be removed forthwith.” (5)

In effect, this meant that the tribunal had decided that William Thomas’s employment did not meet the criteria for a Scheduled Occupation. It is interesting to note that in the same Kington Times report, Mr. John Addis, also a waggoner like William Thomas, had his star confirmed on the basis that he was the only man employed at Pipe Trow Farm, Byton.

The result was that William Thomas was not exempt from military conscription which had come into being by an Act of Parliament in January of that year and which was to be effective from March 1916.

“As there were too few volunteers to fill the ranks, the Military Service Bill was introduced in January 1916, with compulsory conscription for the first time in Britain's history. Every unmarried man and childless widower between 18 and 41 were offered three choices:

1/ Enlist at once.

2/ Attest at once under Derby's system.

3/ Or on 2 March 1916 be automatically deemed to have enlisted.

In May 1916 the bill was extended to married men and in April 1918 the upper age was raised to 50 (or 56 if need arose).” (Wikipedia)

Arthur Henderson, the only Labour minister in the Cabinet had “argued that many working men would strongly resist serving a nation in which they did not have a legitimate share in governing. They resented the idea of being dragooned to face possible death by a Parliament they had no part in electing—forty percent of men over 21 were denied the vote by the franchise and registration laws. To them conscription was yet another theft of working men's rights by rich capitalists. The only counter-argument the Government could offer was that it was of absolute necessity. Workers must be convinced that there were too few volunteers to meet the need, meaning the loss of the war and the end of Britain.” (Wikipedia)

Such was the force of feeling that in 1917, a bill was passed to give all males over 21 (and many women as well) the right to vote under the Representation of the People Act which came into force in April 1918.

In May 1916, William Thomas enlisted in Leominster, most likely in the 3rd/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment.

“The 3rd/1st Battalion (Herefordshire Regiment) was formed in Autumn 1914 to handle the large number of volunteers. It became the Depot & Training Battalion for the Regiment, training new recruits and receiving soldiers returning to fitness after wounds and sickness before posting them to an operational unit. After completion of training they could be posted to any unit which needed them.” (6)

Above photo: Troops of the Herefordshire Regiment on a training ‘route march’ (7)

In November 1916, William Thomas married Janet May Morris who was born in the parish of Pembridge and, according to the 1911 census, was residing at Noke Cottage, Staunton-on Arrow.

Above photo: William and Janet Thomas (courtesy of Keith Watson)

At the time of her marriage to William Thomas, Janet Thomas was a maid/housekeeper in service to Rev. Cornish Watkins at The Vicarage, Staunton-on-Arrow where she was also residing.

In early January, 1917, The Hereford Times (January 1916) reported the following -

“Work is still going ahead with our battalion in spite of the changes that have been brought about by the number of men who have been sent overseas to strike their blow in the cause of freedom. Men come and go but the work goes on uninterruptedly and each branch of training is being dealt with by the staff responsible for it.

Another draft has been selected and is ready to proceed overseas as soon as the call comes, and as soon as other men finish their training, they are placed on the “available for draft” list and may be sent for whenever they are required. So, a constant stream of reinforcements is kept running, the men coming up being passed through the various courses until they are ready for service.” (8)

Then in another report in the Hereford Times (10th January 1917) is the following -

“ANOTHER DRAFT PASS THROUGH HEREFORD

On Wednesday afternoon, another large draft of men, including a good number of the Herefordshire Regiment passed through Barr’s Court Station on the way to a port of embarkation in order to proceed on active service. The troop train remained at the station for a short interval, during which the men were regaled with refreshments. The men, all of whom seemed to be in the highest spirits greatly appreciated the kindness and hospitality shown them.” (9)

Then a follow up in The Hereford Times the next day -

“On Thursday, a draft of men was sent to the K.S.L.I. Again, the notice was only a short one, but it did not take the men very long to complete arrangements. They left in as good spirits as the men who went earlier in the week, for they too are hoping to go to the battalions to which the other Herefordshire drafts have been transferred.” (10)

William Thomas was one of those Hereford Reserves who was transferred on 11 January, 1917 to the 1st Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.

The next day, 12th January 1917, William Thomas arrived at Le Havre. By January 16th, William Thomas was in Rouen on his way to join his new battalion further north.

“With the end of the Somme campaign 1/KSLI had been redeployed to the Bethune - Loos - Lens sector of the British Front Lines. They remained in this area conducting trench holding operations for the next 12 months. The usual pattern of four days in the front line, four days in support and four days in reserve was maintained with occasional periods of rest behind the lines.” (11)

Above photo: “The trenches and no-man's land between Loos and Hulluch, photographed on the 22 July 1917. The German trenches are on the right and bottom of the picture. The British trenches are in the top left. The vertical line passing through the photo is what remains of a road” (Wikipedia)

On 4th May 1917, William Thomas was on night sentry duty -

“4th May 1917-

The 1st Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry-Trenches in Right sub-sector, Hulluch, Front Line from Boyau 63 to about Boyau 72a just south of Road into Hulluch, with "A" Coy on the right, "D" in the centre, "C" on the left and "B" Coy in support:-

At 3.45 a.m. four daring Germans, crawled down a disused sap and attacked one of “C” Companies posts killing three of its men in close quarter fighting before bolting back to their own lines. A fourth man must have been killed else where in the Battalions line because the C.W.G.C. & S.D. record the names four 1/K.S.L.I. killed on this day 100 years ago.” (12)

William Thomas was the fourth man killed. He left the sum of £4 16s 4d (back pay) to his wife Janet.

He is buried at Philosophe British Cemetery.

Above photo: Philosophe British Cemetery (CWGC)

“The cemetery was started in August 1915. In 1916 it was taken over by the 16th (Irish) Division, who held the Loos Salient at the time, and many of their dead were brought back to the cemetery from the front line. Succeeding divisions used the cemetery until October 1918, and men of the same Division, and often the same battalion, were buried side by side. After the Armistice, this cemetery was one of those used for the concentration of isolated graves from the Loos battlefield.” (CWGC)

Thomas William’s wife, Janet, had engraved upon her husband’s headstone the following -

“IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF A DEVOTED HUSBAND THY WILL BE DONE”

William Thomas is also commemorated on the family headstone at Pembridge St Mary Churchyard where his father had been buried a few months before William Thomas was killed.

Above photo: The Thomas family headstone, Pembridge St Mary Churchyard (Keith Watson)

A report in The Kington Times dated 2nd June 1917 states -

“PRIVATE WILLIAM THOMAS, PEMBRIDGE

We regret to state that Private William Thomas K.S.L.I. has officially been reported killed in France on 4th May. He was a native of Pembridge and the son of the late Mr. James Thomas. Before the war he was in the employ of Mr. Bounds, The Lowe. Joining up in May 1916, he was posted to the Herefords

Writing to his widow, his platoon commander said that he was shot through the head while on sentry duty and never recovered consciousness, dying within half an hour. He was buried in an English cemetery behind the line. Mingled with your sadness must be the pride that your husband has given his life for his country and as his Platoon Commander I would like you to know what an excellent soldier he was always eager and willing to do what fell to him. The Platoon and the Commander are the poorer without him.”

Nearly three years later, approaching the anniversary of her husband’s death, Janet Thomas posted the following in The Kington Times (May 1st) under “In Memoriam” -

“In Loving Memory of my dear husband, Pte. William Thomas, K.S.L.I. killed in action in France, May 4th 1917

‘Thy will be done’”

In December 2018, 25 saplings, grown from acorns from the Pembridge Verdun Oak which had itself originated from an acorn salvaged from the Verdun battlefields of 1916, were planted on “The Straight Mile” outside Pembridge. Each sapling represented one of the 25 1st World War soldiers commemorated on The Pembridge War Memorial. Keith Watson, a grandson of one of Janet Thomas’s sisters, along with two cousins and the husband of one of them, drove from Yorkshire to Pembridge to dedicate a sapling in William Thomas’s name.

Above photo: William Thomas’s great nephews and great niece - Keith Watson (centre), Des Sargent (second from right) and Josie Griffin (far right), “The Straight Mile”, Pembridge, 17th November, 2018 (Keith Watson)

Rory MacColl

Sources

1/ https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6076281 copyright Richard Webb

2/ https://www.lodging-world.com/uk/hotels/lowe-farm-in-pembridge-91123728

3/ Kington Times 18th April 1916, courtesy of Keith Watson

4/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29954113

5/ Kington Times 18th April 1916, courtesy of Keith Watson)

6/ https://herefordshirelightinfantrymuseum.com/wars/wwi/

7/ https://herefordshirelightinfantrymuseum.com/uploads/1914-sep-regtl-history.pdf

8/ https://herefordshirelightinfantrymuseum.com/uploads/1917-jan.pdf

9/ https://herefordshirelightinfantrymuseum.com/uploads/1917-jan.pdf

10/ https://herefordshirelightinfantrymuseum.com/uploads/1917-jan.pdf