Warlencourt Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Yare was born between 1878 and 1880 in the village of Eldon Lane near Bishop Auckland. His parents were Thomas Yare a native of Brough, Westmorland born 1858 and Margaret Ann Smith born 1859 Escomb near Bishop Auckland. Thomas and Margret Ann married in 1876 in the district of Bishop Auckland and had a total of 8 children, 2 boys and 6 girls. When Thomas (Jnr) was just one year old they were living at 42 Adelaide Street, his father was a joiner at the colliery, an occupation he carried out even after they moved to New Houses, East Howle, Ferryhill. Thomas’s mother died in 1898 leaving his father with all the children still living at home, the eldest Martha Ann was 20, the youngest, Ethel, was only 2 years old.
By 1901 the situation had changed for the better, Martha Ann was a qualified school teacher, Thomas (Jnr) was also working at the colliery as a blacksmith. Ten years later only the two youngest girls were still living at home with their father who was still employed at the colliery as a joiner, Thomas (Jnr) was living as a boarder with the Heritage family at 51 Rennie Street, Ferryhill, still employed at the colliery he was now working as a hewer.
Thomas Yare enlisted in Ferryhill in 1914 joining the 1/5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry as Private 4122. He was trained in England locally at Stockton on Tees as part of the York and Durham Brigade attacked to the Northumbrian Division. The Battalion was moved to Hartlepool August 10th, then Ravensworth Castle Park and was back in Newcastle by October 1914. The 5th Battalion was entrained April 18th 1915 bound for the front and landed in Boulogne as part of the 150th Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division that by April 23rd was concentrated in the area of Steenvoorde in Belgium and rushed into battle to defend nearby Ypres.
During 1915 they participated in the Second Battles of Ypres, St Julien, Frezenburg ridge and Bellewaarde ridge. The following year saw the build up to the Battles of the Somme where the 5th D. L. I. was involved in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette 15-22nd September, Battle of Morval 25-28th September and the Battle of La Tranloy Ridges October 1st to November 11th 1916.
It was during the Battle of La Transloy that Private 4122 Thomas Yare Durham Light Infantry was killed in action November 3rd 1916. His body was given burial in the field but later when the Warlencourt British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, was made in late 1919 his body was exhumed and interred there along with others brought in from smaller cemeteries and the battlefields. Thomas’s final resting place is grave VII J 47.
Private Thomas Yare was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He had nominated his sisters Mary Jane Jones nee Yare and Ethel as his legitimate beneficiaries, they received all monies owed to him. He was 38 years old and unmarried.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Acknowledgements to Chris and Jean Cosgrove for the headstone photo sent via Pierre Vandervelden.
Thomas Yare is remembered at Chilton on C107.01, C107.04 and C107.12 and at Ferryhill on F38.02
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 304
