Willington Cemetery
In Loving Remembrance Paxton Collection
Menin Gate Memorial
A headstone in Willington cemetery reads:-
In loving memory of
Ellen Venn
wife of Thomas Venn
who died 20th April 1950
aged 60 years
and of the above
Sgt. Thomas Venn 6th D.L.I.
Killed in Action at Ypres
27th April 1915
aged 40 years
Also of their beloved son
William
who died 9th Nov. 1902
aged 3 years
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Venn was born at Willington, County Durham, one of 5 known children he was the eldest of 2 sons and had 3 elder sisters. His parents Thomas Venn Snr and Mary Ann Young were born in Devonshire and Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, born 1745 and 1740 respectively. They married at Bishops Lydeard May 11th 1869 but had moved to Mottisfont, Hampshire by 1871 where Thomas was employed as an agricultural labourer, it was here that their first child Elizabeth Ann was born in 1870 followed by Charlotte Kate in 1871. They migrated north to Willington, County Durham, between 1871 and 1873, Mary Ann gave birth to a further 3 children Jane 1873, Thomas Jnr 1875, Isaac 1878. Thomas Snr was now employed as a plate-layer living with his family at 2, Railway Cottages.
Thomas Jnr aged 16 years was employed as a coal miner in 1891, it fell to him and his father to support his mother, brother Isaac (13) a scholar, his sister Elizabeth Ann (21) and her infant daughter Sarah Ann all of whom were still living at Railway Cottages.
Thomas Venn Jnr married in the district of Durham during the 3rd quarter 1899, Ellen Robinson settling at 36, Wear Street, Willington. They had 9 children in all, 4 sons and 5 daughters, William born 1899 died November 9th 1902, Esther September 4th 1901, Thomas August 6th 1903, Edward Walker July 22nd 1905, Charlotte March 13th 1907, Arthur August 1st 1908, Isabel September 22nd 1910, Mary 11th 1912 and Ethel March 6th 1914. Thomas supported his family employed as a coal miner at Brancepeth Colliery. In 1911 they were living at 24 Catherine Street.
Thomas Venn had first enlisted, April 23rd 1900, as part of the 2nd Volunteer Battalion Durham Light Infantry, a Territorial Force with headquarters at Bishop Auckland, rising through the ranks to Corporal by July 5th 1906, he also continued working as a coal miner for Messrs. Strakers and Love. When the 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry was formed in 1908 it was made up of old 2nd Volunteer Battalion men. Thomas enlisted April 1st 1908, for a period of 4 years and assigned as Corporal 308 to the newly formed battalion, time expired the now Lance Sergeant Venn re-engaged March 15th 1912. He was promoted to Sergeant June 29th 1914.
August 3rd 1914 the 6th Battalion was at its annual training camp in North Wales with the rest of the Northumbrian Division when it received orders to return home and prepare for war. The battalion was formed into 4 companies, ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ and trained at Boldon, Ravensworth and Bensham for full time service overseas.
April 19th 1915 the 6th Battalion D.L.I. departed from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Northumberland) railway station bound for Folkestone, embarking that same day and arriving at Boulogne where they were attached to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division. Within days without any nursery training they were fighting in the front line trenches at the 2nd Battle of Ypres in Belgium, where they suffered heavy casualties from shelling and gas attacks at Frezenberg and in the GHQ line, the last trench line of defence before the town of Ypres itself.
Sergeant 308 Thomas Venn Durham Light Infantry was killed in action 7 days after his arrival at the front, April 26th 1915, when a shell burst in the trench where he and 10 other men were sheltering. Due to the conditions of the battlefield his body was not recovered for burial.
His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 54,395 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, commemorating servicemen from Britain and the Commonwealth who were killed on the Ypres salient and whose bodies were never recovered or who have no known grave.
His widow Ellen as his sole beneficiary received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their children and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Meal sent to her at 24, Catherine Street, Willington, County Durham. Sgt. Venn was also the recipient of the Territorial Efficiency Medal and noted as being the best marksman in the battalion.
His widow Ellen Venn nee Robinson never remarried, she died April 20th 1940 aged 60 years and was interred in the family plot at St. Stephen’s Churchyard, Willington Cemetery with her infant son William.
Thomas Venn’s mother Mary Ann Venn nee Young died in 1907 aged 67 years, details as regards his father Thomas Venn Snr uncertain.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
The story of Sgt. T. Venn is given in Willington in old Picture Postcards; Olive Linge. Dewey classification 942.864. ISBN 902886083 5/CIP
It reads:
Sergeant Thomas Venn of the 6th Durham Light Infantry was killed by a shell, when it burst in a trench where eleven men were together, killing eight and wounding three. The sergeant possessed the long service medal and in 1910 had been presented, by General French, with an award for being the best marksman in the battalion.
He left a window and eight children, the eldest being fourteen and the youngest just sixteen months. The proceeds from the sale of these cards was presented to his widow. A grand total of £26.
Thomas Venn is remembered at Willington on W120.02, W120.03, W120.05 and W120.06
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 98
