In St. Sever Cemetery Extension, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 36618 Private Thomas Henry Dunn, serving with 6th Platoon, ‘B’ Company 11th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 26/12/1916.
Until the dawn breaks
And the shadows flee away
He was the son of William and Hannah Dunn, of 4, Randolph Terrace, Evenwood, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham.
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:
Thomas Henry Dunn was born in 1893 at Evenwood, the son of Yorkshire couple William and Hannah Dunn who moved to County Durham about 1880. Their children were Walter (b.1872), Christopher (b.1877), Isabel (Bell) (b.1879), William born at South Church in 1881, then Arthur (b.1884), Albert (b.1886), James (b.1889), Frederick (b.1891, Thomas Henry and Nelson (b.1894).
In 1891, the family lived at Cragwood near Evenwood and William worked as a colliery inspector or keeker and 19-year old Walter was a colliery weighman. By 1901 the family lived at Chapel Street, Evenwood, where 53 year old William worked as a weighman at the coal mine, 24 year old Christopher worked a coal miner and, 20 year old William, 17 year old Arthur and 15 year old Albert were colliery labourers.
Having moved to Randolph Terrace by 1911, William now aged 63 was still working as a miner and Tom had joined Albert, James and Frederick in working at the Randolph Colliery.
Kevin Richardson has provided the following information:
Thomas Dunn signed his Attestation Form on 28th February 1916, enlisting at Bishop Auckland with the Durham Light Infantry and becoming Private 36618. In June he joined 3rd Battalion for training at Fenham Barracks and joined ‘B’ Company” 11th Battalion on the 27th October in France as part of the 60th Brigade, 20th Division, probably joining them at Carnoy in the Somme region of France.
At the beginning of November 1916, 11th DLI was billeted at Bourdon on the river Somme enjoying a little comfort and relaxation and Thomas found time to write to his brother and sister in Evenwood. I am writing to tell you that I am in the pink and hope you are both the same. I am sorry that I have not been able to get hold of anything for the bairns yet but I will look out for something for them without fail. I am at a very pleasant place here within sound of the big guns but I can still sleep alright. I was sorry that our Nelson & Matty could not get with us. I’m enclosing a photograph which you can give to mother. It is of a pal of mine from Etherley. You can send a few Woodbines if you like. We cannot get them here, that is the only drawback here. I think that this is all at present, promising to write again soon. I will close with best love & hoping to see you all again soon. From your young brother Tommy. Pte. T. H. Dunn 36618, 6th Platoon B. Company, 11th D.L.I. (Pioneers). 20th Division, B.E.F. France
11th DLI moved to Picquigny and Corbie in heavy rain on 26th November and Wilfrid Miles in his book The Durham Forces in the field talks about the terrible conditions. The camp was deep in mud and there was little protection from the weather nor were better quarters found when the battalion moved to Montauban…Then parties were provided to carry up rations, water and trench boards to the line and the cellars of Ginchy, Lesboeufs and Morval were explored and cleared. Two main communication trenches called Ozone and Flank Avenue were put in hand…The trench became a drain and the Pioneers spent much of their time pulling out infantrymen and helping the stretcher bearers, whose task was indescribably difficult. One of the wounded died after being 32 hours on the way from the front trenches to the Lesboeufs-Morval road.
Private Tom Dunn was shot by a sniper and wounded in his right thigh on 12th December whilst working behind the front lines and was taken to No.6 General Hospital at Rouen where he died from his wounds on 26th December.
A Memorial Service took place at St. Paul’s Church, Evenwood on Sunday 14th January 1917 and was reported as follows in the Evenwood Church Magazine: I am also anxious to write a word or two about our Memorial Service for the late Private Tom Dunn. This took place on Sunday afternoon, 14th ult., and was splendidly attended in spite of very stormy weather. The Silver Band was with us as they were on all former similar occasions and rendered the “Dead March in Saul” the “Last Post” (cornet) and the “National Anthem” very impressively. The choir also, and Mr. Bird, our organist, did their part in making the service a memorable one. My address was based upon the words in Acts xxxvi, 19, “Almost thou persuaded me to be a Christian.” In this I endeavoured to point out the appeal which God is making to our nation at this time through the solemn and grand spectacle of the devotion of her (the nations) splendid sons to their country’s cause. Faithful unto death as so many of them are, to be not almost but quite Christians would enable us to see the sacrifice in a true light and draw us into a closer and more loving sympathy with God who gave His own Son in our cause and Christ who was crucified for us.
Thomas Henry Dunn is remembered at Evenwood on E69.01, E69.02, E69.03 and E69.04, also at Durham and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance, page 340.
