Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas William Carr born 1896 at Annfield Plain, County Durham, was the eldest of 3 surviving sons and 2 daughters, (1 deceased gender unknown), off spring of Thomas Carr born 1874 at Medomsley and Elizabeth Ann Pattison known as Annie born 1872 at Annfield Plain, both in County Durham. Thomas and Annie were married in the district of Lanchester in 1892 and set up home at Catchgate, Kyo, where he was employed as a coal miner/hewer. Annie Carr nee PattIson died in about 1907 leaving him with the responsibility of their children.
By 1911 he had moved them to Annfield Place, Annfield Plain and was working as a stone-man below ground at the colliery, John William (14) had left school and was responsible for his younger siblings John (9) and Clifford (7) whilst Isabella (12) and Dorothy Jane (11) were scholars. Thomas Carr remarried in 1918 in the district of Lanchester to Emma E. Fitch with whom he had already been living as man and wife since late 1911, as it was she who received the separation allowance allocated to Thomas William Carr after his enlistment. Emma gave birth to son Levi in 1911 and Edward in 1913, both registered under the surname Carr.
On the outbreak of war the Carr family were living at 16, Council Houses, Catchgate, Annfield Plain. Thomas William left his employment as a miner in order to enlist at Consett, August 28th 1914, where he was assigned as Private 16680 Durham Light Infantry. Having joined the regiment at their barracks in Newcastle-upon-Tyne he was transferred along with the other volunteers to Woking in Surrey where they were divided into the 10th and 11th (Service) Battalions, Private Carr was appointed to the 10th Battalion. Living under canvas, without uniforms or modern rifles, their training was slow despite having an experienced commanding officer and regular officers who had fought in the Boer War. February 1915 they transferred to barracks in Aldershot for final training having been fully equipped with khaki uniforms and rifles. May 21st 1915 attached to the 43rd Brigade, 14th (Light) Division the regiment departed as part of the British Expeditionary Force for France.
After a brief period of trench familiarisation they entered the front line trenches south of Ypres in Belgium three weeks later where they suffered heavy casualties, before being moved to the Ypres salient itself. At the end of July they successfully defended the trenches south of Hooge with the loss of over 170 men killed or wounded and remained on the salient until June 1916.
Private 16680 Thomas William Carr Durham Light Infantry was killed in action September 25th 1915 and buried at Hooge, Bellewaarde Farm, his grave marked with a cross bearing his name and military details as per records dated October 12th 1915, however, his grave was destroyed during further actions in the area and January 1st 1916 the War Office declared his death to be presumed as September 25th 1915.
His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 54,613 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, commemorating servicemen from Britain and the Commonwealth who died on the Ypres salient before July 16th 1917, who have no known grave or whose graves could no longer be found. Private Carr was 19 years of age and single.
His father received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at the family’s new address of 11, Happy Land, Leadgate, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Soldiers Died in the Great War states that his name was William Thomas Carr, that he was born and lived in Annfield Plain, and enlisted in Consett.
Thomas William Carr is remembered as William Carr at Greencroft on G54.01 at Annfield Plain on A38.01 and at Catchgate C109.01
He is also remembered in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 262