Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Suddes, one of 6 known children was the youngest of 5 sons and had 1 elder sister. His father William Suddes was born May 15th 1864 at Edmondsley, County Durham, he married Hannah Isabella Tulip born March 24th 1865, native of Ovingham, Northumberland, at Gateshead, County Durham in 1887. They settled at Lanchester where daughter Annie was born in 1888 and Joseph in 1890 while they were living at Cornsay where William was a loader at the coke ovens. Over the next 10 years they had a further 4 children, James born 1892, George Edward 1895, William 1896 and Thomas May 10th 1899.
While they were residing at the New Inn, Hamsteels, where William Snr was the licenced victualler their son James aged 8 years died, April 4th 1900 and tragedy struck the family again, May 14th 1902 when Hannah Isabella Suddes nee Tulip died aged only 37 years. She is at rest within Hamsteels, St John the Baptist churchyard. Less than 6 months later William Suddes remarried Dorothy Ann Murtaugh nee Storey, of Tow Law, County Durham, born January 10th 1864, the widow of Daniel Patrick Murtaugh who had died 3 years earlier.
Living at 17, Chapel Street, Quebec, in 1911 William Snr still employed at the coke ovens was assisted by son George (16) employed as a labourer at the colliery in order to support his wife, William Jnr (13) and Thomas (11) to increment the family income they had taken in a lodger, coke filler, George Bird, 44 years of age and single.
When war was declared with Germany, Thomas was only 14 years of age and would not have been eligible to enlist until he turned 18 years of age. He enlisted May 10th 1918 and first served with HMS Victory II, service number K51414. HMS Victory II was not a ship but shore-based and administered the training depots for the Royal Navy Reserve based at Crystal Palace and Sydenham. Thomas was trained as a stoker and as such was transferred to HMS Cormorant, August 23rd 1918, an Osprey class sloop which had been reduced to harbour service, July 1st 1919 he returned to HMS Victory II. Stoker 1st Class K51414 Thomas Suddes was demobilised, September 8th 1919
All the Suddes brothers were eligible to serve during WW1, his brother Joseph Suddes did not serve overseas. George Edward Suddes died of disease during the Gallipoli campaign and his brother William Suddes seven months later was killed in action on the Somme.
There is a William Suddes Snr listed as incapacitated and living at the Lanchester Public Assist Institution in 1939 and a death entry for the 4th quarter 1939 of a William Suddes aged 76 years, this may well be Thomas’s father.
Thomas Suddes died aged 30 years in 1930, registered in the district of Weardale, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
