Thomas Snowball Winter
James Winter
George Winter
Albert Edward Winter
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Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Snowball Winter (Tommy) was born 1891 in Allendale Cottages, near Medomsley, the son of John Thomas Winter born Newbottle Lane, Chester-le-Street in 1860 and Ruth Harvey Leadbitter born Cutler’s Hall, Benfieldside. John Thomas and Ruth were married September 29th 1879 at the Parish Church of Ebchester, in the district of Lanchester and went on to have 16 children of whom 13 survived. John Thomas worked as a coal hewer and his son Thomas at the age of 20 worked below ground as a putter along with his elder brothers at Roddymoor Colliery.
Thomas Snowball Winter enlisted in Ferryhill, for the duration of the war, as Private 15045 7th East Yorkshire Regiment, 50th Brigade attached to the 17th Division. He underwent training at Wareham Camp in England and was sent to France July 13th 1915, as part of the British Expeditionary Force, landing in Boulogne July 14th 1915. During the remainder of 1915 the Division spent its initial period familiarising itself with the trenches and holding the front lines in the southern area of the Ypres salient. It took part in the Battles of the Somme which saw them engaged in fighting during the Battle of Albert July 1st-7th 1916 where the Division captured Fricourt.
On the final day of the Battle of Albert July 7th 1916 Private 15045 Thomas Snowball Winter was killed in action. Thomas has no known grave, his name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Pas de Calais, France, pier and face 2C. It bears the names of the 72,194 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South Africa forces who died in the Somme battle sector before March 20th 1918 however over 90% of the names commemorated died between July and November 1916. Thomas Snowball Winter was 25 years old and single.
He was awarded the 14-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He had nominated his mother Ruth as his sole legitimate beneficiary and she received all monies due to him.
His father John Thomas died 1929 in Chilton and his mother Ruth in 1944.
Three of Thomas’s brothers also served in the Great War, John George James Chadwick and Albert Edward
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Snowball Winter is remembered at Chilton on C107.01, C107.04 and C107.12
