1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) Regimental number 3084.
Early life:
Thomas’s parents were William George Lemon and Elizabeth Lemon nee Bennett who were married on the 27th of July 1893 at St. Peter’s Church in Marchington, Staffordshire. William George was aged 29 and Elizabeth was aged 33.
Thomas was born in 1893 at Marchington in Staffordshire and his birth was registered at Uttoxeter in Staffordshire in the last quarter of the year. He was baptised at St. Peter’s Church at Marchington on the 15th of October 1893.
In the 1901 census Thomas was aged seven and living at 50, King Street, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire with his parents William G., a domestic groom aged 36 and Elizabeth aged 40. He also had two younger brothers who were Robert aged five and Ernest B. aged three.
By 1911 he was aged 17 and employed as an errand boy. He was living at 47, Stafford Street, Burton on Trent with his parents William, now a brewery drayman aged 45 and Elizabeth aged 50. His brothers were Robert who was 15; Ernest who was 13 and they were also errand boys. The youngest brother was Samuel aged eight who was attending school.
War service:
Quite how Thomas ended up in Keighley is not known. His parents weren’t living here and he was living at Parkwood Top Farm with George Bennett and his family.
Thomas attested for four years as a volunteer with the Territorial Force on Monday the 5th of October 1914. His attestation sheet was signed by no less than Alderman William Anderton Brigg, (who later served as Keighley’s Mayor, for three years during the Great War.) Thomas joined the 6th Reserve Battalion Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment with the number 3084. He also signed the overseas service agreement form on the same date, entitling him to wear the Imperial Service Badge. His medical shows he was aged 21 years and 2 months and was 5 feet 6 inches tall. with a chest measurement of 35 inches. His vision and physical development were good and he was pronounced fit for service at Keighley on the same date.
Thomas is named in Keighley’s Gallant Sons which was a list of names of men who volunteered early in the war. It was published under this title on 6th October 1915, in the Keighley Supplement of the Bradford Daily Telegraph. His details were: Lemon, T. W. | – | Parkwood Top | 1st 6th West Riding.
After his training, he went overseas with the 1/6th Battalion West Riding Regiment on the 14th of April 1915 and is named in their nominal roll for that date. They embarked from Folkestone on the 13th on S.S. Onward and arrived at Le Havre the next day. He served overseas with them for several years.
On the 23rd of September 1915 he was admitted to 17 Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Siding near Lijssenthoek (for an unknown reason) and rejoined his unit in the field on the 6th October.
On the 26th of October He was admitted to 1/3 West Riding Field Ambulance with scabies and rejoined his unit on the 2nd November.
On the 26th of December he was admitted to 1/2 West Riding Field Ambulance with pyrexia and then to no. 10 Casualty Clearing Station at Abeele. (this may have been at Remy Siding near Lijssenthoek) He was transferred to the 1st Canadian General Hospital at Etaples on the same day and his condition was now P.U.O. (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) He was transferred again, to 26 General Hospital at Etaples with ‘skin disease’ When he recovered, Thomas joined a Base Depot at Havre and was back with his unit in the field on the same day.
He seems to have been fine for about ten months in the field until the 19th of February 1916 when he was admitted to the 1/2 West Riding Field Ambulance with synovitis of the left knee and then to S.M. Casualty Clearing Station (possibly South Midlands?) and to no. 2 General Hospital at Havre on the 23rd of February and to the Hospital Ship Oxfordshire the next day.
He was treated in the United Kingdom and on the 6th of June 1916 he embarked at Southampton for Havre. arriving the next day when he joined the Base Depot.
At no 16 Camp, Havre on the 10th of June 1916, he was injured when opening a tin of jam at tea time. He was deemed not to blame in any way by his commanding officer.
Thomas’s medical problem were not over as he was admitted to no. 2 General Hospital at Havre on the 15th of June with I.C.T. (Inflammation of Connective Tissue) to one of his fingers. He was treated for nine days then sent back to the Base Depot at Havre on the 24th of June and joined his Battalion in the field on the 26th.
WO-95/2801_2 War diary of the 1/6th West Riding Regiment:
Thomas was wounded in the field on the 3rd of September but this must have not been serious as he was back with his unit the next day. His war diary entry reads:
3084, Lemon, T.W. D Company. Wounded by shell.
Thomas was killed in action of the 17th of September 1916 along with 1783 Sergeant Hartley Marks, Private William Bottomley (Billy Bott), 3109 Private F. Smith, 2218, Private J. E. Whitaker. The next day 2023 Private Herbert Lake was killed. All of them were from Keighley and buried together in a battlefield grave site at 57d.R.31.a.5.9. just South East of Thiepval.
This included 4389 Private Willie Hewitt killed on the 18th. He was from Cowling, just a few miles from Keighley.
Billy Bott and Herbert Lake played football together for Parkwood Working Men’s Club before the war.
All of these men were killed by shellfire in this period.
WO-95/2801_2 War diary of the 1/6th West Riding Regiment:
The war diary shows that a couple of days earlier they had relieved the 8th Battalion in the line and the men suffered heavily during the relief as the Germans bombarded the lines. Once in the trenches, ‘D’ Company had been sent into the front line facing the ‘Wonderworks’ which was a German strongpoint and on the hillside in front of Thiepval. This was heavily shelled over the next few days and several of the men were killed or wounded. All of the men listed above were with ‘D’ Company which suffered badly.
Thomas’s entry reads:
Keighley News:
Keighley News 30th September 1916 p.9:
Private T. W. Lemon, West Riding Regiment, of Parkwood Top, Keighley, has been killed in action. He had been at the front since April, 1915, and before his enlistment in October, 1914, he was employed by Messrs. Prince Smith & Son, Keighley.
Post war and Remembrance:
After the war, Thomas’s grave along with several other men was exhumed and re-interred at Lonsdale Cemetery at 57d.X.1.a.3.2. on the 3rd of May 1919.
Thomas is buried in grave 9 of row W in plot VI of Lonsdale Cemetery at Authuille in France.
He is remembered in the Borough of Keighley Great War roll of honour book at Keighley Library and as Tom Lemon on the St Barnabas Church roll of honour at Long Lee.
His personal effects were to be sent to his father and this was signed on 17th of January 1919. Medals were to be sent later.
His father William signed for his 1914-15 Star on 16th of August 1919 and his British War Medal on 7th February 1921. There is no slip for the Victory Medal but we assume it arrive around the same time as the War Medal.
The records show that Thomas was awarded all three medals for his war service.
The relative details form W.5080 was completed by his mother Mary Ann on 21st April 1919 and at that time his family was living at 136, Wetmore Road, Burton on Trent.
The details were: Father, William George; Mother Mary Ann; brothers Robert, aged 24; Ernest aged 21 and Samuel aged 17. This was countersigned by the vicar of Holy Family Church on the 21st of May 1919. On the reverse were details of a Bronze Memorial Plaque and Scroll for Thomas, to be issued to them at a later date.
Thomas’s father William was his next of kin and he received his outstanding Army pay which amounted to £3 17s 3d. This was paid on the 17th of January 1917. He also received a £9 War Gratuity payment on the 27th of August 1919.
The Pension cards show that his parents applied for a Dependant’s pension and the card shows that a pension of 5 shillings per week was paid from 6th November 1918.
As stated earlier, William received Thomas’s medals, war memorial plaque and scroll and any personal effects.
Thomas’s mother Elizabeth died at the age of 77 in 1937 and her death was registered at Burton Upon Trent in the third quarter of the year.
His father William George Lemon died on the 15th of August 1954 at home, 136, Wetmore Road, Burton Upon Trent.
Information sources:
Staffordshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1900.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
Staffordshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1900.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
Keighley’s Gallant Sons at Keighley Library.
Bradford Daily Telegraph.
British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
WWI Hospital Registers, 1915-1919.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
WO-95/2801/1_2 War Diary, National Archives.
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
WWI Pension Record Cards and Ledgers
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
