JJen Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 I only know Gnr Leonard James Edward Thompson through this souvenir pendant from Ypres I found in an antique shop. Leonard was so kind and smart to write all his info inside which helped me find the bit of info I did. My only wish is to have a photo of him and more records of his service. He died of his wounds on this day, May 11, 1916. He is not forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david murdoch Posted 21 May , 2020 Share Posted 21 May , 2020 Such a great thing to find - especially with the paper still inside with his details. His medal card shows he went to France 13/12/1915. He was born 1899 and had a sister Evelyn Beatrice born 11th February 1899 so possibly his twin. At the time of the 1911 Census he was aged 12 and at Eastwood Lodge Farm, Walberswick Nr Southwold, Suffolk - with his maternal grandparents. Unit matches on his soldiers effects which went to his father. 107 HQ War Diary notes 11/5/1916 "Two lucky shells on D/107 wounding 5 O.Rks. One died subsequently". The HQ was located in Neuve Eglise in Belgium and he's buried at Bailleul in France but it's only a few Km back - so probably died of his wounds at a field hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJen Posted 22 May , 2020 Author Share Posted 22 May , 2020 1 hour ago, david murdoch said: Such a great thing to find - especially with the paper still inside with his details. His medal card shows he went to France 13/12/1915. He was born 1899 and had a sister Evelyn Beatrice born 11th February 1899 so possibly his twin. At the time of the 1911 Census he was aged 12 and at Eastwood Lodge Farm, Walberswick Nr Southwold, Suffolk - with his maternal grandparents. Unit matches on his soldiers effects which went to his father. 107 HQ War Diary notes 11/5/1916 "Two lucky shells on D/107 wounding 5 O.Rks. One died subsequently". The HQ was located in Neuve Eglise in Belgium and he's buried at Bailleul in France but it's only a few Km back - so probably died of his wounds at a field hospital. Oooh thanks so much for this info David!!! Im in Canada and while our records are very easy to find, I had a hard time finding out that much on him other than the pics I posted. Last year at this time I was in the area where he died and was buried. I absolutely loved Ypres which attracted me to this souvenir in the first place so I felt I had something in common with him. Had I found this sooner, I would have visited his grave myself. Instead, a member of another group I belong to was so kind to visit for me and take pics. I treasure this item and it is a conversation piece that acts as a tool to educate others about the act of remembrance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now