Heslop's Local Advertiser 15/05/1917
Arras Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Boiston Brown was born January 7th 1895 at Felling, Gateshead, County Durham. He was the eldest son and the eldest of 7 children, all of whom survived, 4 sons and 3 daughters. Both his father and mother were born in 1773, Richard Hicks Brown was born at Bill Quay, his mother Jane Boiston at Windy Nook, near Gateshead, they were married at Heworth, November 3rd 1894. In 1901 they were living at 56, Wellington Street, Heworth, his father employed as a coal miner. By the age of 16 years Thomas had joined his father at the colliery working as a pony driver underground, his eldest sister Ellen (14) assisted her mother at home, Elizabeth (12), Joseph (9) and Charles (6) were scholars, Margaret and Richard Jnr were babies.
Thomas was 19 years old when war broke out in August 1914, he enlisted and was assigned as Ordinary Seaman Tyneside Z/540 Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Nelson Battalion Royal Naval Division, during his time with the battalion he rose to the rank of Able Seaman. The Royal Naval Division was the idea of First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, created by the surplus of men that were not required by the Army and had been enlisted in the Naval Reserve.
Nelson Battalion trained at Blandford Camp in Dorset learning trench construction and warfare. Training completed they departed to Egypt as part of the Expeditionary Force in preparation for the Gallipoli Campaign where they landed at Cape Helles. Nelson remained on the peninsular until they were withdrawn along with the remainder of the Royal Naval Division back to England. Re-enforced the R.N.D. transferred from the authority of the Admiralty to the War Office, April 26th 1916 and departed to France, landing at Marseilles May 12-23rd 1916, where they were renamed July 19th 1916, the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division.
The 63rd Division participated during the Operations on the Ancre, on the Somme, January 11th-March 13th 1917 and at the Second Battle of the Scarpe, April 23rd-24th 1917 a phase of the Arras Offensive.
Able Seaman Thomas Boiston Brown Tyneside Z/540 was killed in action on the first day of battle April 23rd 1917. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 34,785 names of servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand inscribed on the Arras Memorial to the Missing within Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France, commemorating those who died in the Arras sector between spring 1917 and August 7th 1918 with no known grave. He was 22 years old and single.
His father Richard Hicks Brown living at 35, Elsdon Street, Felling, Gateshead, County Durham as his next of kin received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Richard Hicks Brown died at Gateshead in 1934 aged 60 years having lost his wife in 1933 aged 61 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Boiston Brown is remembered at Felling on F32.01 and at Heworth on H92.07
