Roclincourt Military Cemetery
Chester-le-Street Chronicle 1917
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Blackburn Walton was born 1898 in Grange Villa, County Durham, one of 9 children of whom only 4 survived, 3 boys and 1 girls, born to Michael Walton 1871 Shincliff and Mary Elizabeth Blackburn 1867 native of Newfield, County Durham. They were married 1892 in the district of Chester -le-Street, Michael worked as a gamekeeper but Thomas was employed as a coal miner, in 1911 the family lived at Old Schools, Craghead, County Durham.
Thomas Blackburn Walton enlisted 1914 in Consett and was assigned as Private 22081 Northumberland Fusiliers, 8th Battalion. The 8th Battalion arrived in Gallipoli July 1915 attached to the 34th Brigade, 11th Northern Division. Thomas married Minnie Brown who gave birth to their daughter Florence, June 15th 1915 and she was only 6 months old when her father was drafted, December 1st 1915, to the Balkans. He served in Gallipoli, then on to Egypt, January 1916, where the 8th was assigned to the defence of a section of the Suez Canal. They were recalled to France in June, embarking from Alexandria July 3rd, they arrived as reinforcement to the Battle of the Somme. During his service in France Thomas rose through the ranks to Lance Corporal and was also transferred to the 24th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion, 103rd Brigade, 34th Division. Spring 1917 preparations were underway for the Battle of Arras, Lance Corporal 22081 Thomas Blackburn Walton Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action April 6th 1917.
His body was initially buried, “under wall of Chateaux Roclincourt Military Cemetery” and marked with a cross baring his service details. The cemetery was begun by the 51st Highland and 34th Divisions in April 1917. After Armistice during the laying out of the Roclincourt Military Cemetery as it is today the body of Lance Corporal Walton was exhumed, along with 18 others from various regiments and he was reburied with military honours and reverence, grave IV. F. 11.
His wife Minnie received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British war Medal and Victory Medal.
Thomas’s mother died in 1948, his father in 1950, his wife unknown. Florence Walton married Leslie F. Probyn in 1937 in the district of Lanchester, she died 2005 in Hatfield, Herefordshire.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Paul Heatherington has submitted the following:-
Thomas was born in Grange Villa, Chester-le-Street, in the early months of 1893. His father, Michael Walton, a gamekeeper, was born in Shincliffe. His mother, Mary Annie (née Blackburn), came from Newfield, Chester-le-Street. Thomas was the first child in the family. He had threeyounger siblings, William, Florence and Edward.
In 1911, the family were living at Old Schools Craghead. Thomas was working in a coal mine.
In the spring of 1915, Thomas married Minnie Brown, from Iveston. Their daughter, Florence, was born on the 15th June 1915 in Byker.
Thomas enlisted as a Private in the Northumberland Fusiliers and from the 1st December 1915 served in the Balkans. and became a Lance Corporal.
He was killed in action in France on the 6th April 1917 and is buried in Rolincourt Military Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais.
Minnie (Mary) Walton married Robert Gleadow in 1923. Florence Walton married Leslie Francis Probyn, a motor mechanic, in 1937. In 1939, they were all resident at 20 Roseberry Terrace, Consett. Florence and Leslie had a daughter, Glenda, born 27th September 1939.
Thomas Blackburn Walton is remembered at Craghead on C120.01 C120.02 and C120.04 and at Shotley Bridge on S27.03