Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas W. H. Mortimer was born 1880 in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, he met and married, in 1907, Angelina, born 1883 in Edmondsley, eventually setting up home in 1911 at 54 Pine Street, Grange Villa. Angelina had given birth to two children one of whom died, they had a surviving son John W. H. Mortimer born third quarter of 1909 in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.
Thomas W. H. Mortimer enlisted at the outbreak of war, November 5th 1914, in Newcastle upon Tyne and was assigned as Private 558 to the 22nd Battalion, 3rd Tyneside Scottish, Northumberland Fusiliers. They moved from Newcastle to Alnwick in Northumberland setting up camp in the grounds of Alnwick Castle in early May 1915. They joined the 102nd Brigade, 34th Division in Ripon, Yorkshire mid 1915 and August 15th went to Salisbury Plain for final training. They embarked for France in January 1916 and concentrated east of St Omer. Preparations were already underway for the Battle of the Somme and they were moved closer to the front line in the following months. The 22nd Battalion consisting of the 1st/2nd and 3rd Tyneside Scottish on the first day of the Battle of the Somme were to attack La Boiselle, once a village but already reduced to rubble. The 1st attacked to the south, after the detonation of two huge mines beneath the German positions the 2nd and 3rd made their way across 200 yards of No Man’s Land. Private 558 Thomas Mortimer 3rd Tyneside Scottish, Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action July 1st 1916, one of 20 officers and 628 men of the 22nd Battalion, 3rd Tyneside Scottish to be lost that day.
Private Mortimer’s sacrifice is recorded on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, Somme, France, pier and face 10/11/12B, which records the 72,246 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South Africa who perished on the Somme 1915-1918 and have no known grave.
His widow Angelina received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their children, also his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal. She remarried in the district of Chester-le-Street in 1919 to John Walsh. Angelina died, district of Durham, in 1963 aged 79 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Mortimer is remembered at Craghead on C120.01 and C120.04