Private 15821 Thomas Tranter

Died of Wounds on Sunday, 10th December 1916, age 31.
Buried in Grave II. D. 17. at Mesnil Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France.

6th Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment. Pioneer Battalion of 11th Division.

Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Sunderland, Resident: Hordern, Sunderland.

First landed Balkans, 7th October 1915.
Medal entitlement: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives survived and transcribed.

Commemorated on the Tipton Library Memorial.
Commemorated here because he appears on a Tipton memorial.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/182052/

Genealogical Data

1891 Census
1 Owen Street (The Albion Inn), Tipton, Staffs.
Thomas Tranter (47, Widower, Carpenter, born Womborne), and his 12 children: Jane (22, Manageress of Public House, born Tipton), William (20, Carpenter, born Tipton), Harry (19, Painter, born Tipton), Fred (17, Road Pavier, born Tipton), Sam (15, Road Pavier, born Tipton), Annie (12, Scholar, born Tipton), Rupert (11, Scholar, born Tipton), Lucy (10, Scholar, born Tipton), Agnes (8, Scholar, born Tipton), Thomas (5, Scholar, born Tipton), Emma (4, born Tipton), and Lizzie (3, born Tipton).

1901 Census
5 Howl Place, Tipton, Staffs.
Thomas Tranter (57, Builder and Contractor, born Womborne), his wife Isabel H. (32, born Whitley, Worcs), and 2 of Thomas's children from his first marriage: Thomas (16, born Tipton) and Lizzie (14, born Smethwick).

1911 Census
Blackhills Road, Hordern, Sunderland.
William Henry Mills (55, Shopkeeper, born Tipton), his wife Jane Marion (43, Shopkeeper's Assistant, born Tipton), and a number of boarders including Thomas Tranter (25, Brother in Law, Colliery Horse Driver, born Tipton).

Personal Data

Thomas enlisted with the East Yorkshire Regiment on 9th November 1914 at Sunderland. He was 29 years 6 months old, 5 feet 3 inches tall with a 36 inch chest, and weighed 120 pounds. He was employed as a Cartman. His next of kin was given as his father, Mr Thomas Tranter, of 3 Waterloo Street East, Tipton, Staffs.

Thomas was initially allocated to the Depot Battalion, then on 12th November 1914 to the 9th Battalion, then on 21st September 1915 to the 6th Battalion. The 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment was the Pioneer Battalion to the 11th Division, and had already landed in Gallipoli in August 1915.

Action resulting in his death

Thomas left England on 20th September 1915 to Alexandria, landing Gallipoli on 7th October 1915 as a reinforcement. His battalion was evacuated from Gallipoli during 19th/20th December 1915 to Imbros. They then moved to Egypt in January 1916, taking over a section of the Suez Canal defences in February 1916. Orders were received in June 1916 for a move to France, landing in Marseilles by the 10th July 1916. By 27th July, the Division had taken over part of the front in Third Army sector. The Division then took part in the Battle of the Somme including the Battles of Flers-Courcelette and Thiepval.

Thomas died at the 33rd Field Ambulance on 10th December 1916, after suffering gun shot wounds and multiple shell wounds. No specific action was being undertaken, but enemy artillery and sniping was never still. He is buried in Mesnil Communal Cemetery Extension.

Newspaper Cuttings

None.