Sergeant Thomas John McDONALD 2513, 1st. Northumberland Fusiliers (MM 1917)

[Ivor Anderson]

Sergeant Thomas John McDONALD 2513, 1st. Northumberland Fusiliers - 9th Inf. Bde., 3rd Div. (MM 1917)

 

Born: 17th June 1890, 12 Wilkie Place, Leith (near Edinburgh), Midlothian, Scotland.

1891 Census: 12 Wilkie Place, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. Parents Alexander & Eliza (nee Sinclair). Aged 9 months.

1901 Census (Ireland): 30 Fife Street Belfast, aged 10, with parents Alexander (39) & Eliza (39), & siblings. Father a ship yard rivetter.

                                      Siblings: Alexander (12), Robert (8), Catherine (5), Margaret Eliza (3) & Neil (1) b.Belfast.

1911 Census (England): Parents and siblings living at 165 Scarborough Road, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Father a ship yard rivetter aged 49.

 

SERVICE RECORD (on Ancestry):

Joined 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers at Newcastle,12 February 1909. Height 5ft 5inch. From Leith.

India 19-11-1910 to 17-11-1914 (In 1911 he was a Private, aged 20, b.Leith, Midlothian, on a Military census in Rawalpindi, India).

Home 23-12-1914 to 15-01-1915

 

France 16-01-1915 to 10-10-1915

Promoted: Lance Corporal 12-04-1915, Corporal 21-05-1915, Sergeant 23-08-1915 (all with 2 Battalion). 

He was wounded twice with 2nd Battalion.

25-05-1915 to hospital Wimereau with GSW left chest wall and abdomen. 29-05-15 to hospital at Rouen.

Casualty list dates: 20/07/1915 (Corporal) and 16/10/1915 (Sergeant) - was entitled to wear two "Wound Stripes” (AO 204 6 July 1916). 

Wounded gunshot wound chest wall and left abdominal wall. 2nd wound - gunshot wound right leg.

Home 11-10-1915 to 19-06-1916

 

France 20-06-1916 to 28-04-1917

Promoted acting CSM 1 Battalion 24-07-1916 - when Battalion was dug in on Sunken Rd. under heavy enemy shellfire (enemy attacking HIGH WOOD). This was the day after a major attack that attempted to clear LONGUEVAL Village & Delville Wood on the  23rd July 1916 - over 6 pages of detail & analysis in the WD.

25th - Battalion standing in readiness during an enemy attack on LONGUEVAL - attack repulsed without them and they were relieved and they were relieved. 53 ORs joined on 26th near Albert on route to VILLE-SUR-ANCRE. On 28th July - 61 OR joined the Battalion - recruit training began. On 1st August a further draft of 170 joined.

Thomas reverted to Sgt. 3-8-1916. (In billets at Ville-Sur-Ancre, 75 ORs joined that day).

On 4th August 1916 there was a battalion route march and further training, an inspection by the GOC 9th Brigade and an address by the GOC 3rd Division.

 

The M.M. was awarded for the 9th Brigade attack on the 9th April 1917 on the village of Tilloy and the defensive work named the "Harp". 

Attack carried out with the 4th Royal Fusiliers, 12 West Yorks and 13 Liverpool. The battalion took the QUARRY. 2 officers were killed and 7 were wounded on the 9th. Enemy snipers ‘caused a great many casualties’ from positions around the village. The battalion consolidated their position ‘on the blue line from Wancourt Road, for about 300 yards to the north’. They ‘consolidated the HARP by 12 noon’ on the 10th April.

London Gazette 30135, p.6020 - 18 June 1917 - Schedule no. 84462

Two other winners of M.M. won in same action are in the same gazette:

24239 Pte. E. Fenwick - Sch. no. 84463 1 NF

38431 L/Cpl W. England Sch. no. 84464 1 NF

London Gazette 30135, page 6020 and 6022 for all three awards.

 

Home 29-04-1917 to 25-10-1917 

29-04-1917 Posted N.F. Depot as Sergeant. “Discharged - no longer fit for war service’. Medical report 4-10-1917: 'Trench Fever and tuberculosis left leg'.

Sergeant 25-10-1917. Silver War Badge 282435 25-10-1917 aged 27.

I do not know what happened to him after WW1.

Thomas McDonald's Military Medal index card from NA:

 

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[Matlock1418]

2 hours ago, Ivor Anderson said:

“Discharged - no longer fit for war service’. Medical report 4-10-1917: 'Trench Fever and tuberculosis left leg'.

Sergeant 25-10-1917. Silver War Badge 282435 25-10-1917 aged 27.

I do not know what happened to him after WW1.

A W.1. pension card is available from WFA/Fold3 "Refusal.  Married after discharge"

PC records under Date and cause of death: "10.4.19" but with a seemingly subsequential and rather ambiguous note of "Discharged" written above the date

Widow's address appears to have been "3 Union St., Eastgate, Worksop" - when she wrote a letter making the application and case opened "5.9.1919"  [her name is not recorded but it could have been his address and at least a place to consider.]

There are two case references:

1  6715 and also "2 D.P.68717" [this later for a disability pension one might hazard - appears to have been queried with a "?" on the PC]

:-) M

Edited 6 June , 2020 by Matlock1418
typo

[Ivor Anderson]

Great. Thank you. Didn't see that. He certainly got around, but had a tough life! 

Found: Marriage of Thomas J McDonald and Grace M Smith in Worksop district Q3 1918.

            Death in Mansfield district of Nottingham in April 1919, aged 28 (10-04-1919).

 

Edited 6 June , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

His MM has survived:

 

Edited 6 June , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Phil Eyden]

Last night I was going through some photographs I have of graffiti in the tunnels in The Citadel, a large Napoleonic / Victorian fortress at the Western Heights in Dover and found this - it's Thomas's actual name from 1909. The Northumberland Fusiliers had been stationed there since 2nd October 1907 so this would have been Thomas's first posting straight after he enlisted on the 8th February 1909. He was awarded a Third Class Certificate of Education on the 26th March whilst at Dover, and the NF left the town on the 3rd October 1910.

 

I was very lucky to be allowed a tour of the tunnels five years ago by a Prison Officer as the site was still working as Dover Immigration Removals Centre at the time but shut shortly afterwards, and access is now impossible. I hope the new owner appreciates the value of the history there. 

 

[Matlock1418]

 

On 06/06/2020 at 17:53, Matlock1418 said:

Widow's address appears to have been "3 Union St., Eastgate, Worksop"

On 06/06/2020 at 18:08, Ivor Anderson said:

Marriage of Thomas J McDonald and Grace M Smith in Worksop district Q3 1918.

Glad you found her and confirms marriage after discharge - and why her pension claim was refused

 

On 06/06/2020 at 14:59, Ivor Anderson said:

“Discharged - no longer fit for war service’. Medical report 4-10-1917: 'Trench Fever and tuberculosis left leg'.

On 06/06/2020 at 17:53, Matlock1418 said:

PC records under Date and cause of death: "10.4.19" but with a seemingly subsequential and rather ambiguous note of "Discharged" written above the date

On 06/06/2020 at 18:08, Ivor Anderson said:

Death in Mansfield district of Nottingham in April 1919, aged 28 (10-04-1919).

So that is that date of death clarified.

I wonder what was the cause of his death - a DC would help of course.

I don't seem to be able to find him on CWGC for that date [only a John Mc Donald, #29452]

= Possible he's non-comm???

:-) M

 

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Phil for that amazing inscription photo! Graffiti has its uses!

 

Thanks Matlock. I may send for his DC, but the fact that his wife was refused a pension because his death occurred in the second year after discharge would indicate that the army felt that his death was not war related. Hence the absence of his name with the CWGC. He could have died from flu?

A Grace M. McDonald married a John A. Walters in Worksop in Q4 1922. 

 

His war wounds would certainly have left him very susceptible to the flu epidemic:

 

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[George Rayner]

Sorry I may have joined in part way and lost the thread-and may have the wrong man-but 

From Ancestry

 

doesn't this say he was discharged ;as result of' and perhaps his wife didn't get the pension because they married after he was discharged? I am not certain what happened in the case of widows married to soldier after discharge. May have seen this in other pension claims-turned down because of that fact.

George

 

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks George. You must have posted at the same time as I added the ancestry image.  In addition (from Ancestry service record):

the medical report from 4-10-1917 adds that BOTH his lungs were affected, leaving him with a high risk of contracting flu from late 1918:

 

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Chris,

So he got a disability pension from 1917, but it was not transferrable to his wife after his death because they were married after he was discharged - post war?

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Matlock1418]

1 hour ago, Ivor Anderson said:

So he got a disability pension from 1917, but it was not transferrable to his wife after his death because they were married after he was discharged - post war?

Would be my feeling = she wouldn't get a disability pension anyway - but neither would get a Widow's pension because of their post-discharge marriage.= regardless of if it was a directly war-related cause of death or if such was a significant component in the likes of 'flu etc.

Probably the only card she could perhaps have played was that she had been co-habiting with him and dependant as an 'un-married wife' before his discharge - but we have so far not seen evidence of such a situation or claim, either way.

I too get the feeling he wouldn't have been a well man with such injuries/medical condition - his discharge notes give him permanent 1/2 {50%} disability I think - saving grace at that time is he didn't appear to have TB!

If death was, perhaps, subsequently attributed to respiratory disease [such as 'flu or TB] then that might complicate things a bit,  but ...

There may perhaps have been an inquest into his death - and perhaps one [and/or the DC] may shed more light.

If an inquest there may perhaps be a newspaper report.

Possibly less costly than a DC, but more speculative, to look for evidence of an inquest first. ???

Looking for significant war attribution of injuries/ill-health significantly leading/contributing to death

Would be in-date for a retrospective CWGC commemoration if a case can be made for associated or significant war-relationship for death - cause and linking attribution would be necessary = if it is felt something relevant has been found one would have to gather all evidence together and perhaps make the case accordingly - and then see how they respond.  But perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves! :-/

Please keep us informed.

:-) M

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Matlock1418
addition

[Ivor Anderson]

There is currently a long delay in the issuing of DCs and I cannot find any newspaper reports other that the MM listings in June 1917.

[Matlock1418]

 

8 minutes ago, Ivor Anderson said:

There is currently a long delay in the issuing of DCs and I cannot find any newspaper reports other that the MM listings in June 1917

We have crossed whilst I was re-editing but no major difference in essence in my post above.

Shame on both accounts.

Please keep us informed

:-) m

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Matlock1418

[Ivor Anderson]

If only it was as easy as downloading his BC from the 'Scotlandspeople' website - cost me just £1.50 there now.

Shows his birth as 17th June 1890 and even gives his parents' marriage on 31 December 1886.

 

[Matlock1418]

4 minutes ago, Ivor Anderson said:

If only it was as easy as downloading his BC from the 'Scotlandspeople' website - cost me just £1.50 there now.

A lot easier and cheaper than E&W GRO's £7.00 for a PDF! - and delayed at that I think!

:-) M

Edited 28 June , 2020 by Matlock1418