Consett Guardian 14/01/1916
Blaydon Courier 06/11/1910
Pauline Priano: Menin Gate
Reg. Hornsby has submitted the following:
Lance Corporal Thomas John Muse
Unit: 9th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, 52nd Brigade, 17th Division
Home / Base prior to enlistment: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Killed in action (age not known) on Wednesday 3rd November 1915
On the Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres), Belgium
Supplementary Notes:
On the day of L/Corp. Muse’s death the 9th Battalion was occupying flooded trenches in Sanctuary Wood.
Dorothy Hall has submitted the following:-
Thomas John Muse was one of the four sons of Thomas John and Elizabeth Stock Muse. He was born at Castleside in 1885 and for most of his life lived at Castleside House (until recently the Smelters Arms) at the village crossroads.
In 1911 Thomas John Jn. was a 25 years old mining engineer working for Birtley Iron Company at Pelaw Main Colliery. His widowed father, a Merchant formerly a Grocer, Draper and ganister quarry owner lived in Castleside House with Thomas John, his daughter Jane aged 38 years and 22 year old son Stephen Ernest who was an engineer at Consett Iron Company.
Elizabeth had died in 1902 aged 51 and is buried in Castleside Churchyard. Thomas John Sen. died in 1913 aged 69 years.
In 1914 Thomas John enlisted at Newcastle upon Tyne into the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers service number 12155. He went to France 15th July 1915.
The Newcastle Journal 24/07/1915 reads:-
Captain J. Muse oldest son of the late T.J. Muse of Castleside House near Consett who came with the first Canadian contingency and has been in action at the front returned to his home place to undergo an operation. He went to Allendale to see his wife and family and while out for a walk with his children getting over a stile his foot became entangled. He fell and broke his ankle and had to be moved to Newcastle Royal Infirmary for some treatment.
Captain Muse’s younger brother Private Stephen Muse has also been at home for a brief holiday, while a third brother Private T. Muse is at present at the front in France.
(2014 Note Stephen was a Sergeant with the Northumberland Hussars number 270590 then a 2nd Lieutenant with the Northumberland Fusiliers number 235523. In 1920 he emigrated to Canada)
Captain Muse went through the South African war and when hostilities were declared last August he came home from Canada to fight bringing his wife and family with him. See J1.23a Royal Grammar School 1899-1902 with photo.
Captain John William Muse became a Major with the R.F.A. and was awarded the M.C. in 1918 for gallantry.
The Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligence 11/01/1918 reads:-
Major J.W. Muse R.F.A., M.C. is the eldest son of T.J. Muse the late County Councillor of Castleside who for some years was chairman of the Lanchester Board of Guardians. For some weeks he has been in hospital at Newcastle undergoing an operation in one eye the injury being caused by gas poisoning, having quite recovered he has just left to join his battery in Italy.
A fourth brother George Albert Muse aged 35 in 1911 does not seem to have joined the Army and died in 1925.
Lance Corporal Thomas John Muse was Killed in Action on the 3rd November 1915 aged 29 years. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate memorial Ypres.
The Newcastle Journal 13/11/1915 reads :-
News has been received in Consett that Private Thomas Muse son of the late County Councillor T.J. Muse of Castleside House, has been killed by the bursting of a shell. The deceased who joined the forces at the outbreak of the war was well known in Newcastle and District.
The Nottingham Evening Post 23/11/1915 reads :-
The day after he was killed Lance Corporal T.J. Muse of the Quayside Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers was gazetted lieutenant and granted short leave to go home to be married.
The Blaydon Courier 06/11/1920 has a brief In Memoriam entry which reads:-
In proud and loving memory of T.J. Muse who died for his country on November 3rd 1915.
Thomas John Muse is remembered on the War Memorial in Castleside churchyard C113.01, and in Newcastle on NUT009, NUT238 and in the Battalion History page 138.
