Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Salkeld was born 1884 in Waldridge Fell, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, one of 12 children of whom only six survived. His father Thomas Salkeld Snr. 1857 of Collierley, Dipton married, July 22nd 1882, in Newcastle upon Tyne, Jane Ann Turnbull born 1862 Ouston, County Durham. In 1891 they were living at King’s Buildings in South Gateshead, St Helen’s Parish, (possibly Low Fell). By 1901 they had moved to 12 Gladstone Street, Pelton where Thomas and his father both worked at the pit, Thomas Jnr. now 17 years old was a putter below ground.
March 11th 1905 Thomas was married at the Registry Office in Chester-le-Street to Eliza Jane Tuck born August 27th 1883 in Tanfield Lea, County Durham. They had moved by 1911 to Felling in Gateshead, living at 7, Springfield Terrace with their son Thomas Henry born November 24th 1907 in Penshaw, near Houghton le Spring. They had a further 3 children, Evelyn 1911, Nelson 1912 and Walter 1914.
Thomas Salkeld enlisted in November 1914 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, assigned as Private 645 Northumberland Fusiliers 25th Service Battalion, 2nd Tyneside Irish. The Battalion underwent training in England and was taken over by the War Office, June 1916 they came under the orders of the 103rd Brigade, 34th Division at Ripon and moved to Salisbury Plain in August for final training. The Division left for France in January 1916 and upon their arrival were concentrated at La Crosse, entrained at St. Omer and then by march to the front line. In action July 1st 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme the 1st/2nd/3rd and 4th Tyneside Irish advanced at the same time down into Avoca Valley and then up the other side to the British front-line trenches. From there they had to cross no-man's land and pass through the German lines, an almost complete failure as they were exposed to machine gun fire of the German defences until the 2nd and 3rd were halted in the area of La Boiselle, only the 1st and 4th manage to reach their objective.
Private 645 Thomas Salkeld 25th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action July 1st 1916. His sacrifice is recorded, pier 10/11/12 B, on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, Somme, France which commemorates the 72,246 officer and men from the United Kingdom and South Africa who were killed on the Somme 1916-1918 and have no known grave. Thomas was 32 years old.
His widow Eliza Jane received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their children and his awards of the British war Medal and Victory Medal at 8, Bloom’s Ground, West Stanley, County Durham.
Elisa Jane remarried to Thomas W, Mennom, she died in 1963 in Durham, their eldest son Thomas Henry 1991, Evelyn Salkeld married Charles E. Brown, date of death unknown, Nelson died aged 2 years in 1914 and Walter in 1995 in Rankin Springs, New South Wales, Australia.
1916 also brought the news that Thomas’s brother Henry Salkeld, was killed in action, September 16th 1916, whilst serving as Private 16665 Durham Light Infantry 10th Battalion, during the Battle of Flers-Coucelette, Henry was 29 years old. He is interred in A. I. F. Burial Ground, Flers, Somme, France, grave II. G. 4. He left a wife Nancy and two children, Robert and Maria. His widow remarried in 1919 to Thomas Lowe in Stoke-on-Trent.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas is remembered at Craghead on C120.01 and C120.04 and at West Pelton where both Thomas and Henry are remembered on W112.01
