Thomas Maccabee, Sgt, Royal Berks

[Phil Wood]

Hi,

I am trying to find more about Corporal 201125, Thomas Arthur Maccabee, Royal Berks.

I suspect he is one of the lads the CWGC have missed.

What I have:

1888 born - registered Q2, son of Henry and Elizabeth Maccabee.

1891 with parents, age 3 - Rose Cottages, Enborne, Berks

1901 with parents, age 13 - 2 Rose Cottages, Enborne, Berks

1911 with parents, age 23 - Roseleigh, Wash Common, Newbury, Berks. Working as a house painter (following in his father's footsteps).

1914 enlisted 14 Dec. R Berks

1917 picture in Reading Standard (Berkshire in the War) - Sergt, 2/4 R Berks, wounded (Temp Sergt perhaps?).

1919 discharge (Corpl) 18 Mar - no longer fit for service

1920 (Q1) died in Brighton registration district aged 31

MICs - Corpl, Reg No 201125

One MIC gives his enlistment and discharge dates - and a couple of bits I don't yet understand:

1. AO 29/19 and W below the AO [As of 29? 1919 / Wounds?]
2. Action taken: L/A/1353 [reference to a document/file?]

He is commemorated on Newbury War Memorial and Newbury Baptist Church War Memorial.

I can't find his pension record at Ancestry - but he looks like he should have one as he died a few months after his discharge. What I would most like to find are his medical records - to find evidence that his death is a result of his army service.

[IPT]

AO29/19 refers to Army Order 19 of 1929 which I think is just something to do with the award of SWBs.

LA/1353 is the SWB roll reference here - http://search.ancest...src=&pid=496167

He died at Pavilion Military Hospital, Brighton and was buried at Newtown Road Cemetery 3rd March 1920. His address was given as Roseleigh, Wash Common. - http://www.fnrcnewbury.org.uk/persondetails.asp?PersonID=2275

The Pavilion Hospital was for limbless men (following it's previous use as a hospital for Indian soldiers).

[Phil Wood]

AO29/19 refers to Army Order 19 of 1929 which I think is just something to do with the award of SWBs.

LA/1353 is the SWB roll reference here - http://search.ancest...src=&pid=496167

Thanks for that - I live and learn.

He died at Pavilion Military Hospital, Brighton and was buried at Newtown Road Cemetery 3rd March 1920. His address was given as Roseleigh, Wash Common. - http://www.fnrcnewbu...p?PersonID=2275

The Pavilion Hospital was for limbless men (following it's previous use as a hospital for Indian soldiers).

A little more searching and, courtesy purley's work on the Royal Berks (thanks John) -

During the day Sgt T A Maccabee of Newbury was injured when a shell exploded. Both legs were shattered and he lay on the battlefield for three days and nights before he could be rescued. When he got to the Dressing Station he was found to be suffering from frostbite and seven fingers and two legs were amputated at the 3rd General Australian Hospital at Abbeville. He never recovered from his wounds and died after many operations at the Pavilion Hospital Brighton on 3rd March 1920.

Poor chap. Why on earth is he not commemorated by the CWGC? Ironically his brother Reginald, who is in the CWGC data base, is also commemorated on Thomas' gravestone (though buried in France).

IPT - is this the source of your information re the hospital? EDIT: I see it is on his probate calendar entry.

John - what is the source for this paragraph (Petre?)

Do records survive for the Pavillion hospital?

I think I have enough to warrant the price of his death certificate.

[Bardess]

Certainly sounds as if you do! Good luck with it. BTW deaths at home are normally the ones not commemorated

[IPT]

Hi Phil,

It was on the above burial link;

[Phil Wood]

Certainly sounds as if you do! Good luck with it. BTW deaths at home are normally the ones not commemorated

Yes - this is my third so far. As I have only researched a fraction of the names on West Berkshire memorials I suspect I will find a fair few more.

[Phil Wood]

Hi Phil,

It was on the above burial link;

Thanks IPT. I will nip down and get a picture of his grave tomorrow.

And a sad footnote - his brother Reginald died in action while serving with the same battalion while Thomas lay helpless on the battlefield with his legs smashed. It's tempting to imagine Reginald dying while hunting for his big brother - though I guess he probably didn't even know Thomas was missing.

[purley]

IPT - is this the source of your information re the hospital? EDIT: I see it is on his probate calendar entry.

John - what is the source for this paragraph (Petre?)

Phil

There was an obituary in the NWN 11th March 1920 which contains a good deal of information. The only source of the reference to the piece you quoted that I can lay my hands on is an enigmatic 'see 294' and I am trying to track this down. Neither Petre nor the war diary give him any mention. I will e-mail you with the cutting from the NWN.

regards

John

[Phil Wood]

There was an obituary in the NWN 11th March 1920 which contains a good deal of information. The only source of the reference to the piece you quoted that I can lay my hands on is an enigmatic 'see 294' and I am trying to track this down. Neither Petre nor the war diary give him any mention. I will e-mail you with the cutting from the NWN.

regards

John

Thanks John - email received (and transcribed) - for other readers, it's a sad story:

Newbury Weekly News, 11 Mar 1920

A Shattered Soldier

The sad death of Sgt T A Maccabee, second son of Mr and Mrs H Maccabee, of Wash Common, as the result of shockingly severe injuries sustained whilst serving in France during the war, occurred on Monday at the Pavilion General Hospital, Brighton.

Deceased joined the army as a private in the 2/4^th Royal Berks Regiment in November, 1914, and was in training at Chelmsford and other camps, until drafted to France in March 1916. Promoted to the rank of Sergeant, he was a favourite with his men, and took part in many engagements with the enemy. Early in 1917 he was gassed and suffered with trench fever, which necessitated a stay in hospital for some time. He was badly wounded in the battle of Cambrai in December, 1917, and lay on the battlefield for three days and nights with legs shattered by the explosion of a shell. Upon arrival at a dressing station he was found to be suffering from frost-bitten fingers, and upon his removal to the 3^rd General Australian Hospital at Abbeville, it was found imperative to amputate both legs and seven fingers. He was conveyed to the Southern General Hospital at Portsmouth in March 1918, where he remained until July of the same year, then being transferred to Roehampton to be supplied with artificial limbs. His wounds, however, continued to cause pain and trouble, and he was sent to Brighton for further operations. He returned to Roehampton in January 1919, and two months later paid his first visit to Newbury since going abroad. He was continually under treatment and went to Brighton again earlier this year where two most dangerous and critical operations were performed on February 8. No hopes were entertained of his recovery and his next of kin were wired for, who were present with him when he passed away on March 1. Deceased had nineteen operations, all of which he had born with remarkable patience and fortitude. His age was 31, and he had four brothers all serving with him in France at the same time.

I was a little surprised that the nearby death of his brother Reginald while Thomas was lying wounded on the battlefield did not get a mention.

I will now see about getting him recognized by the CWGC.