Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Lowe was born at Wigan, Lancashire, date and details of family unknown. In 1914 he was living at Wardley Colliery, he left his employment to enlist at Felling, near Gateshead, County Durham on the outbreak of war and was assigned as Private 19219 Durham Light Infantry.
In late September 1914 2,000 new recruits left Newcastle-upon-Tyne by train for Buckinghamshire where they were formed at Aylesbury into two battalions, the 14th and 15th (Service) Battalions. They moved to Halton Park in Buckinghamshire as part of the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. Halton Park had been offered to the War Office by Alfred de Rothschild as a training camp. The bad weather, lack of khaki uniforms, dummy rifles and too few officers meant training was little more than basic drill, however in December 1914 both battalions moved to High Wycombe where they were issued with uniforms and rifles and proper training began. Early April 1915 they returned to Halton Park to occupy newly built wooden huts, their training intensified and finally they were moved in July 1915 to Whitley Camp near Aldershot for final training. September 11th 1915 the 15th Battalion departed as part of the British Expeditionary Force landing at Boulogne in France still attached to the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. Two weeks later still inexperienced and unprepared the 14th and 15th Battalions were sent into battle at Loos, September 25th 1915, in the first major offensive by the British on the Western Front.
After a long march, wet, tired and hungry, the battalions moved forwards across the old British front line, reaching the old German front about 2am on September 26th. Both battalions attacked later that morning only to be driven back by machine gun fire. In the fighting, the 14th DLI lost almost 300 men killed or wounded, whilst the 15th DLI lost over 450 men. Amongst the dead were the two commanding officers.
After a winter in the trenches at Armentieres, the 15th Battalion was moved south to prepare for the opening attacks of the Battle of the Somme. At about 7.30am July 1st 1916, they attacked the German front line north of Fricourt. By early afternoon, the battalion had advanced to Shelter Wood, taking 200 German prisoners for the loss of 450 men killed or wounded.
Private 19219 Thomas Lowe Durham Light Infantry was killed in action July 1st 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,246 names inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France which commemorates servicemen from the United Kingdom and South Africa killed on the Somme 1916-1918 and who have no known grave.
Recipient of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Lowe is remembered at Heworth on H92.03
He is not remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance
