Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Hinksman was born at Heworth Lane, Gateshead, County Durham in 1897 the son of Richard Hinksman born 1859 at South Shields, Northumberland and Martha Underwood native of Liverpool, Lancashire born 1861. The Underwood family in 1881 were living at Warrington, Lancashire moving to the north east where Martha and Richard met and married in the district of Tynemouth in 1882. They had 6 children of whom only 4 survived, all sons. His father worked for the next twenty years as a boiler maker with the family having moved to Lavery Street and later in 1911 to Armstrongs Buildings, Felling-on-Tyne, Heworth, Gateshead. At the age of 14 Thomas worked at the colliery along with his brother Richard whilst James was training as an apprentice riveter. During the second quarter of 1911 his mother Martha died, aged 50 years, his father remarried to a lady named Elizabeth.
Thomas Hinksman enlisted at Felling-on-Tyne, August 28th 1914 and was assigned as Private 13473 to the 11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, the second D. L. I. battalion to be formed since the outbreak of war. He departed for France January 26th 1915 and although his military record does exist it is severely water and fire damaged making it illegible. It is known that he was transferred from the 11th to the 10th and finally the 15th Battalion attached to the 21st Division. The Durham Light Infantry served extensively on the Western Front during the entire conflict, 1916 at the Battles of the Somme, 1917 the Arras Offensive, Messines the Third Battle of Ypres, and 1918 during the Spring Offensive. The Offensive was a series of attacks by the Germans along the Western Front beginning March 21st 1918. The Germans knew their only possibility of victory was to destroy the Allies prior to the arrival of United States forces in the sector and began pushing the British forces across the Somme to the English Channel in the hope once this was achieved the French would request Armistice. It was during the ensuing battle that Private 13473 Thomas Hinksman Durham Light Infantry was killed in action, March 21st 1918.
His sacrifice is commemorated as one of the 14,000 names of British and 300 South African servicemen recorded on the Pozieres Memorial, panel 68-72, Somme, France, who died in the sector in March and April 1918 on the former Somme battlefields and in the months that followed before the Advance to Victory beginning August 8th 1918 and have no known grave. Thomas was 21 years old and single.
Richard Hinksman, his father, living at 1, William Street, Felling as sole beneficiary received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
All the Hinksman brothers served during WW1, Amos Tomlinson, the eldest, a boiler maker by trade, married to Elizabeth Edwards in 1905 with a daughter Mary Annie, served as Private 8636 with the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers entering the theatre of war in France, November 23h 1914. He was discharged under King’s Regulation (xvi) no longer fit for military service, exact date/circumstances unknown, awarded 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He died at Heworth, County Durham in 1948 aged 63.
Richard Hinksman Jnr. a coal miner was attested August 17th 1914 and assigned the following day as Private 3052 Black Watch. He was discharged September 16th 1914 under King’s Regulations 392 (c) having been found physically unfit for further service.
James Hinksmanenlisted at Felling, August 31st 1914, assigned as Private 18276 11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and died of wounds, October 5th 1916, aged 27 years and single, he was interred Carnoy Military Cemetery, Somme, France and awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Hinksman is remembered at Felling on F32.07 and F32.23 and at Heworth onH92.03
