Corporal Thomas Songhurst of Lowestoft, Killed in Action in France May 11 1917

Photograph from the Norwich Mercury 23rd June 1917.

Corpl.T.Longhurst, Suffolk Regiment, husband of Mrs. Longhurst, Tennyson Road, and son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Longhurst, 29 Stanford Street, Lowestoft, killed in action in France, May 11th.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website does not have anyone with that name, but they do have:-
SONGHURST, THOMAS JAMES
Rank:……………………Corporal
Service No:………………14129
Date of Death:…………..11/05/1917
Age:………………………24
Regiment:……………….Suffolk Regiment
………………………….."A" Coy. 8th Bn.
Grave Reference:………I. F. 23.
Cemetery:
BUCQUOY ROAD CEMETERY, FICHEUX
Additional Information:
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Songhurst, of Lowestoft; husband of Elizabeth Songhurst, of 23, High St., Dunbar.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/179519/

The Grave Registration report shows that when the Imperial War Graves Commission, (forerunner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission or CWGC), took over the responsibility for the graves at this Cemetery in July 1920 the temporary marker then in place recorded him as Corporal 14129 J Songhurst 8 Suffolks who died 11th May 1917. Someone has manually amended that to read T J Longhurst. All the other records on the CWGC site pick up on the TJ but leave the surname as Songhurst.

Soldiers Died in the Great War records that Corporal Thomas James Songhurst died of wounds on the 11th May 1917 whilst serving with the 8th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. He was born and enlisted Lowestoft. No place of residence is shown.

The Medal Index Card for Corporal 14129 Thomas J Songhurst, Suffolk Regiment, is held at the National Archive under reference WO 372/18/199020
He had previously been a Private in the same Regiment when he first entered a Theatre of War.
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D5317654

His Service Records appear to have been destroyed in the Incendiary attack during the Blitz on the Warehouse where they were stored .

No match on Picture Norfolk for either surname.

No obvious Soldiers Will or Civil Probate for either surname.

Birth – 1891/92

The birth of a Thomas James Songhurst was recorded in the Mutford District of Suffolk, (which included Lowestoft), in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1892. Then as now you had 42 days to register the birth with the Civil Authorities, so its possible that Thomas could have been born in the last few weeks of 1891.

1901 Censuses of England & Wales, and Scotland.

The 9 year old Thomas Songhurst, born Lowestoft, was recorded living at 29 Stanford Street, Lowestoft. This was the household of his parents, Richard, (aged 50, an Insurance Agent born Croydon, Surrey), and Rosina, (aged 50, born Paddington, London). As well as Thomas their other children are:-
Rosina……aged 23…..born Marylebone, London…..Dressmaker
Joseph……aged 19…..born Chelsea, London……….Fish Packer
Edith……..aged 14…...born Lowestoft
Margaret…aged 12…...born Lowestoft
Completing the household is a 65 year old Boarder, James Salter, a widower from Lowestoft.

1911 Census of England & Wales

The Songhurst family were still living at 29 Stanford Street. Parents Richard, (60) and Rosina, (60), have been married 39 years and have had 9 children, of which 8 were then still alive. Unmarried children still living with them are Edith, (24, Dressmaker) and Thomas, (19, Brewery Labourer). Also living with them is their married daughter Margaret, (22) and her husband George Ratcliff, (27, a Blacksmith born Lowestoft) and that couples child, George H Ratcliff, (1, born Lowestoft).

It may be a complete co-incidence, but a possible candidate for his future wife is the 17 year old Elizabeth Brown, born Cellardyke, Fife, who was recorded living at 67 East Street, Lowestoft. This was the household of her parents George, (aged 40, a Cooper & Fishworker from Cellardyke, Fife) and Janet, (aged 40 and from Hadelion?, Dunbar?). The couple have been married 18 years and have had 10 children, of which 8 were then still alive. All 7 of Elizabeths siblings were still living at home.

(Note – Janets’ birthplace could be Haddington, Dunbar. Dunbar and Cellardyke are on opposite sides of the Firth of Forth but there could well be connections via the fishing industry.)

1913 – Possible Marriage

The marriage of a Thomas J Songhurst to an Elizabeth Brown was recorded in the Mutford District of Suffolk, (which included Lowestoft), in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1913.

Post August 1911 it had become compulsory when registering a birth with the Civil Authorities in England and Wales to also record the mothers maiden name. A check of the General Registrars Office Index of Births for England and Wales indicates at best one possible child of the couple. This is the birth of a Thomas J Songhurst, mothers maiden name Brown, which was recorded in the Mutford District of Suffolk in the July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1913.

On the day

The Military Records on the FindMyPast site includes a Progress Report from the various Medical Facilities. This was report no P.62743 and the page concerned covers 3 Casualty Clearing Stations and 1 Field Ambulance. Corporal 14129 T.J Songhurst was admitted to 55 Field Ambulance in France on the 11th May 1917 with “SW. Back penet. Abdomen” which I interpret as Shrapnel Wound to the Back, penetrating his Abdomen – Gunshot wounds are normally recorded as GSW although its not mandatory. He died the same day.

BUCQUOY ROAD CEMETERY, FICHEUX

Location Information
Bucquoy Road Cemetery is situated on the D919 heading south from Arras to Ayette. The Cemetery is on the right hand side of the road, 9 kilometres from Arras, just before a crossroads with the D36 between Ficheux and Boisleux-au-Mont.

Historical Information
In November 1916, the village of Ficheux was behind the German front line, but by April 1917, the German withdrawal had taken the line considerably east of the village and in April and May, the VII Corps Main Dressing Station was posted near for the Battles of Arras. It was followed by the 20th and 43rd Casualty Clearing Stations, which remained at Boisleux-au-Mont until March 1918, and continued to use the Bucquoy Road Cemetery begun by the field ambulances. From early April to early August 1918 the cemetery was not used but in September and October, the 22nd, 30th and 33rd Casualty Clearing Stations came to Boisleux-au-Mont and extended it. By the date of the Armistice, it contained 1,166 burials but was greatly increased when graves were brought in from the surrounding battlefields and from small cemeteries in the neighbourhood.
www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/17600/BUCQUOY%20ROA...

Given how close they were to the battlefield and the type of medical facility where he was being treated, even if he had been laying out of the battlefield it seems likely that the fatal wound was incurred no more than 48 hours before he died.

There is nothing obvious in the Suffolk Regiment as to events involving the 8th Suffolks – there is reference to them taking casualties while forming up to support an attack on the 3rd / 4th May and an Officer is mentioned as killed on the 5th as a result of artillery bombardment of the front and support trenches.

The War Diary of the 8th Battalion Norfolk Regiment, who were in the same Brigade, talks of relieving the 8th Suffolks in the front line on the evening of the 8th, (between 9.30 p.m and 11.15 p.m.) and being relieved in turn by the 8th Suffolks on the night of the 12th/13th. The 8th Suffolks would not have been fully out of the line during this period – the reserve trenches or bivouac areas where they would have marched would still have been within reach of the German guns and subject to aerial attack. They would also be expected to provide Working Parties to carry out tasks such as wiring No-Mans Land and digging saps and listening posts.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Lowestoft (show map)

Taken on: December 7, 2016

Tags:

Lowestoft

Suffolk

Old Soldiers Rest in Peace

Faces of the Great War

Norwich Mercury

Norwich Mercury June 23rd 1917

I do not own copyright to the original image

Dulce et decorum est

Thomas Songhurst

Thomas James Songhurst

A Company 8th Battalion Suffolk Regiment

8th Battalion Suffolk Regiment

11/05/1917

11th May 1917

Elizabeth Songhurst

Richard Songhurst

Rosina Songhurst « less

Sets appears in: • Dulce et Decorum Est..Pro Patria Mori • Read all about it more » • Faces of Arras 1917 • Lowestoft « less

Groups appears in: • The Great War 1914 - 1918 • Your Faces of the First World War more » • REMEMBER THEM « less

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