WORKING NOTES

Born Neath Abbey. Parents - Thomas & Margaret

1901 - 1 Cwmfelin Houses, Coedfranc, Neath. 9 yo. W parents & 3 sibs

1911 - 21 Taillwyd Rd, Neath Abbey. 19yo. Occ-Coal Miner Hewer. W parents (dad also coal miner hewer & 4 younger sibs

1919 - Married Rachel Williams, Aberdare 12/5/1919

1921 - Ty Canol, 13 Penyard?, Neath Abbey. 29y4m. Occ- Miner, Marchowell Colliery Co, BrynCoch. W wife, Rachel & Margaret (1920)

1939 - 29 Heol Pantglas, Brycoch, Neath. DOB 24/2/1892? occ-Coal Hewer Anthracite Mine. W Rachel, Thomas D (1921), Caroline (1927)

1954 - Died aged 62, late feb/early March, cremated at Glyntaff Crem. Same address as 1939. Survived by wife Rachel, children Margaret, Carol and David

His Grandson kindly added: Sadly, my grandfather had passed away before my birth, but several of my relatives and people who I have met who knew him, say that he had a fine baritone voice and loved singing with the other miners as they walked to and from their work at the pit.

SR at MOD confirms DOB

Enlisted between July and Sep 1912 (based on his service number).

Being from Neath, he would have enlisted there and most likely joined the Left Section (A & B Subs/guns) of the 2nd Glamorgan Battery

As a pre-war Territorial Force soldier, he would have attended evening drill sessions at the drill hall and annual summer camps.

When war was declared, the Brigade had just arrived on Salisbury Plain for the 1914 camp and quickly returned to Swansea.

The men were embodied for War Service and then moved to Shrewsbury where the Welsh Territorial Division concentrated.

They stayed there for about 3 weeks, then moved to Northampton where they were asked to Volunteer for Imperial Service (to serve overseas). This was because Territorials joined to defend Britain and free up the Regulars to serve oversea. We know TJT volunteered and he would have received a silver badge which he would have proudly worn on his right chest.

Just before Christmas 1914, they moved to Cambridge and were inspected by the King on Parkers Piece in March 1915.

In May they moved again to Bedford where they completed their training.

On the night of 21/22 Nov 1915, they finally went overseas travelling from Southampton to Le Havre. We know TJT was one of the 401 men who made this journey

From Le Havre, they went to the Somme where they trained (at the time it was a quiet sector that we had just taken over from the French).

In Jan 1916, they received orders to rejoin their division in Egypt (the rest of the Division had gone to Gallipoli where they had a very bad time) and made the dangerous 5 day crossing in Feb 1916. There are no records confirming this for TJT, but I have yet to find a man who went to France and did not then go to Egypt.

They acclimatized at a place called Beni Salama near cairo then took over a sector of Suez Canal defences in May 1916 – which was quiet.

Later in the year, their commander decided attack was the better form of defence and the army started the 2-year push through the Middle East, crossing the Sinai (hot and thirsty), 3 battles at Gaza, capturing Jerusalem and them on to Jordan (much sickness and Malaria). It is hard to say what role TJT took in this, but the majority of men remained with the Battery which by the end of the war had been renamed C Battery of 266 Brigade.

Most of the men were discharged in March 1919, but it looks like he continues to serve until the summer of 1920 (serving a total of 7y 223d), possibly remaining in Egypt helping to establish the peace.

For his war service, he received the 1914/15 star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

He rejoined the Territorials in 1921 and received the Territorial Efficiency Medal in 1923 and finally left in 1934 with the rank of Staff Sergeant when he also received the Efficiency Medal .