Private 26883 Thomas Richardson

Died of Wounds France & Flanders on Tuesday, 26th September 1916, age 33.
Buried in Grave I. C. 7. at Guillemont Road Cemetery, Guillemont, Somme, France.

'C' Company of 12th Bn., Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Pioneer Battalion of 4th Army.

Son of the late Thomas and Sarah A. Richardson, of Hill Top, West Bromwich, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Coventry, Resident: Unknown.

First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/534640/

Genealogical Data

Birth of Thomas Richardson registered March quarter 1883 in Dudley.

1881 Census
1 Holland Street, Tipton, Staffs.
Thomas Richardson (31, Labourer in Ironworks, born Crewe), his wife Sarah Ann (30, born Madeley, Shropshire), and their children: Eliza A. (7, born West Bromwich), James Edward (4, born West Bromwich), George H. (1, born West Bromwich), and Mary A. (1, born West Bromwich). This was just before Thomas was born in 1883, so it is distinctly possible he was born in Holland Street, as he is recorded as born Tipton.

1891 Census
45 Pudding Bag Street, Hill Top, West Bromwich, Staffs.
Thomas Richardson (41, Ironworks Puddler, born Crewe), his wife Sarah Ann (40, born Dawley), and their children: Eliza Ann (17, born West Bromwich), James E. (13, born West Bromwich), George H. (11, born West Bromwich), Mary Ann (10, born Tipton), Thomas (8, born Tipton), Alice Maud (6, born Tipton), and Florence Ann (3, born Tipton).

1901 Census
54 New Street, West Bromwich, Staffs.
Sarah A. Richardson (50, Widow, born Shropshire), and her 5 children: Eliza A. (27, born West Bromwich), James E. (23, born West Bromwich), Thomas (18, an Underhand Roller, born Tipton), Alice (16, born West Bromwich) and Ann (11, born West Bromwich).

1911 Census
10 Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Boarding in the house of William Williams (34, Iron Worker, born West Bromwich) was: Tom Richardson (28, Iron Worker, born Tipton).

Personal Data

After Thomas's death, his outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £7/15/9d (7 pounds, 15 shillings and 9 pence); this was paid to his mother and sole legatee, Sarah Ann, in January 1917. His War Gratuity was £3/0/0d (3 pounds exactly), this was also paid to his mother in April 1920. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that Thomas had enlisted in the 12 months before his death.

Thomas's mother, Mrs Sarah Richardson, applied for a Dependant's Pension on 25th February 1919. She was awarded 12/6d (12 shillings and 6 pence) per week from 25th February 1919, increasing to 15/0d (15 shillings) per week from 16th August 1921, then decreasing to 10/0d (10 shillings) from 10th January 1922, to 8/4d (8 shillings and 4 pence) from 1st April 1922, and finally to 5/0d (5 shillings) from 10th April 1923. Sarah died on 4th May 1923. Her address was initially 19 Queen Street, Hill Top, West Bromwich and later 3 Asbury Avenue, Handsworth.

Action resulting in his death

The 12th (Labour) Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (12/DCLI) was formed in Plymouth in April 1916. As a Labour battalion they did not undergo the usual infantry training, so arrived in France (Havre) within a month on May 8th 1916, moving to Corbie in the south of the British section of the Somme on May 12th.

12/DCLI were ‘Army Troops’ to Fourth Army, and so were not allocated to an infantry division. This meant that they could be allocated to labour tasks at Army level, and hence in any number of locations. For the period up to Thomas Richardson’s death in September 1916 they remained in the Somme sector.

The majority of 12/DCLI tasks involved repairing roads damaged by shelling and from the sheer weight of traffic. This was particularly true in September where their tasks were associated with the build-up to the Battle of Flers/Courcellette (15th September) and then driving the roads forward as the British troops forced their way into Gueudecourt and Lesbouefs.

On 26th September, 12/DCLI were working in Guillemont and particularly in building a ‘corduroy’ road north-west towards Ginchy. A ‘corduroy’ road was made from logs placed across a road generally where mud was prevalent.

The 12/DCLI War Diary gave details of the events of the day. “1.15 p.m. some shelling. 2 p.m. broke out again, about 6 or 7 shells where some of ‘C’ Company working to complete corduroy just south of old route on Ginchy road. 3 men killed, 2 badly wounded. No. 25389 C.J. Sutton, No. 26849 H. Smith & No. 26853 W. Miller killed; No. 26333 T. Richardson & No. 26654 R. Gomm seriously wounded, died same day.”

The 3 men killed were Privates Charles Sutton (Birmingham), Harry Smith (Oxford) and Walter Miller (Farnborough). They were buried that afternoon in Casement Cemetery just north of Maricourt, but in 1919 were exhumed and re-buried in Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt.

Thomas Richardson (and presumably Richard Gomm) were taken to No.14 Corps Main Dressing Station where Thomas died. Although the War Diary records that Richard Gomm died, this is incorrect and he survived the war. Thomas is buried in Guillemont Road Cemetery, Maricourt. His grave is one row behind that of Raymond Asquith, the son of the Herbert Asquith, the Prime Minister at that time.

Newspaper Cuttings

None.