Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Gustard Jnr. was born January 11th 1886 at Newbottle, near Houghton le Spring, County Durham, one of 11 children, all of whom survived, 7 sons and 4 daughters. His father, also native of Newbottle, Thomas Gustard, was born May 5th 1858 and married Mary Cummins born at Bishopwearmouth, February 27th 1858, in the district of Houghton le Spring in 1881. They spent a short time in Scotland but had moved to 5, Spring Gardens South at Newbottle with their 5 children by 1891 where Thomas Snr. worked as a coal miner. When Thomas Jnr was 15 years old he and his brother Ernest (13) worked as pony drivers below ground, Hilton (17) as a labourer below ground.pThomas married Isabella Bell born at Windy Nook, near Gateshead in 1887, in the district of Gateshead in 1908 and was living at 34, Hewitson Terrace, Felling, in 1911 with their 2 children, Thomas Jnr born January 9th 1909 and James Bell Gustard born 1910. His wife gave birth to another son Norman in 1913 who died December 8th 1914.
Thomas Gustard left his employment as a coal miner and enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, October 14th 1914, in the newly formed 18th (Service) Battalion (1st Tyneside Pioneers) Northumberland Fusiliers as Private 274 and began training at Newcastle part of which entailed, after the issue of picks and shovels, marching every day to Benton to dig trenches.
The first week was very competitive, the expert miners amongst them managed to dig down 4 feet 6 inches in an hour. After spending time at Rothbury and Cramlington, February 8th 1915, it officially became a Pioneer Battalion and in July joined 34th Division at Kirkby Malzeard. Divisional training continued at Salisbury Plain and Sutton Veny until being taken over by the War Office, November 4th 1915. December 28th preparations were made for embarkation at Southampton and they departed January 7th arriving at Le Havre, on the 8th.
Entrained the Division was sent on to the depot at Etaples and underwent a fortnight of route-marching as preparations were already underway for the commencement of the Battles of the Somme. The 34th Division departed from St. Omer for the Somme, April 18th 1916. British attacks began July 1st 1916, engaged at the Battle of Albert and Bapaume, capturing La Boisselle.
Private 274 Thomas Gustard Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action July 1st 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,246 names of servicemen from the United Kingdom and South Africa inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France, pier and face 10/11/12B which commemorates all those who died on the Somme 1915-1918 and who have no known grave.
His widow Isabella received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Isabella Gustard nee Bell died December 22nd 1938 in the district of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland aged 51 years.
Thomas and Isabella’s son Thomas Gustard Jnr married Isabella Kay native of Blackburn born July 26th 1908, during the 1st quarter of 1932, at Gateshead and with whom he had one known child, James Bell Gustard born March 13th 1935 - died 1992 aged 57 in the district of Sunderland. Thomas Gustard Jnr died at Gateshead, April 18th 1971, aged 62 years, his wife Isabella Gustard nee Kay aged 71 years in 1979.
Their youngest son James Bell Gustard who was single, died in a work related accident at Heworth Colliery. The Durham Mining Museum records his demise, March 1st 1934, as, “killed by a fall of stone,” but there was a little more to it than that.
The March 13th 1934 edition of the Shields Daily Gazette reported the findings of the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of James Bell Gustard, on-setter’s assistant, Chapel Square, Heworth Colliery, the jury returned a verdict that Gustard was killed while travelling in an open tub contrary to regulations. They expressed the opinion that Gustard, John Stephen McCann, on-setter, and Robert Finlay, stopple lad, were guilty of negligence.
A witness said of James, “he was a willing lad and had gone to the other side of the shaft to give another lad assistance whose work was to push the empty tubs to the stopple, and there was another lad there to receive them.”
McCann knew that James frequently rode in the empty tubs against regulations and agreed in doing so, arriving at the stopple, the cage of which had no roof, James was liable to be hit by anything that fell down the stopple. Mr. T. L. McBryde (Inspector) said he (McCann) had never reported Gustard to the management and had not warned him not to do so.
On that faithful day, after James got into the tub, some stones fell and hit the tub, one huge mass which landed in the tub having fallen several fathoms down the stopple from where it was dislodged, struck James. After the fact a witness said, “Gustard was groaning,” but sadly James Bell Gustard died, March 1st 1934, he was 24 years of age.
Thomas Gustard Jnr’s father Thomas of 13, Havelock Street, Felling Gateshead, died September 19th 1931 aged 72 leaving the sum of 191 pounds 11 shillings 5 pence to his widow Mary Jane and (spinster) daughters Elizabeth Ann, Mary Jane and Florence Gustard. His mother Mary Jane Gustard nee Cummins died June 8th 1938 at Felling aged 79 years.
During WW1 six of the 7 Gustard brothers would have been old enough to serve however as 70% of all WW1 military records were destroyed during the blitz of WW2 not all details exist.
Thomas’s eldest brother Henry born 1883 joined the Durham Light Infantry as Private 2328 and later having transferred to the Machine Gun Corp as Private 155289, he served in France as of June 28th 1915 and on the Western Front for the duration of the war, recipient of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He died at Romford, Essex in 1942 aged 59 years.
Hilton Cummins Gustard served as Private 2760 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and was killed in action, July 4th 1915. Interred at Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium. He was married and aged 31 years. Recipient of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Matthew Gustard born 1892 enlisted September 6th 1914 and was assigned as Private 2411 Durham Light Infantry. Having served overseas he was later transferred, no longer fit for front line duty, to the 2nd N. F. A. Royal Army Medical Corp as Private 388623. Discharged April 3rd 1919, aged 27 years 5 months under King’s regulations 392(xvi), “no longer physically fit for service”. Awarded Silver Badge B162635 also recipient British War Medal and Victory Medial. He married Elizabeth Mary Booth, September 25th 1918 and died December 31st 1949 at Blackpool, Lancashire, aged 57 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Gustard is remembered at Heworth on H92.03, H92.04 and H92.07
