Sunderland Echo 30/06/1940
Photo: Dorothy Hall
Son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Brown, of Fence Houses, Co. Durham.
In Christ Churchyard is a family headstone which reads:
In loving memory of
my dear husband
Benjamin Brown
died 26th April 1947 aged 65 years
And his dear wife
Elizabeth
died 15th Mar 1960 aged 70 years
Also Thomas son of the above
killed in action in France 21st May 1940
aged 22 years
At Rest
William Kirby and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
Thomas was born in the Chester le Street registration area in 1918 to his parents Benjamin and Elizabeth (nee Hutchinson).
Although Thomas wasn’t born yet in 1911 the young family had started off their married life at 35 Blue Row, Lumley. There were two children at that time, Robert and Jane, probably others followed. His father was a coal miner hewer.
Thomas joined the army although no service records are available at this time. However :-On 20 May, 151st Brigade, after a series of marches west and south, was chosen as part of the Arras counter-attack. The 6th and 8th battalions were to support the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments respectively, with the 9th battalion in reserve. After initial successes to the west of Arras the Germans counter-attacked, and the British forces were withdrawn to Vimy Ridge. The brigade was then ordered north on 25 May to plug the gap of the impending Belgian surrender. To do this it had to extract itself from fighting on the Le Bassee Canal, the 8th battalion having to recapture the village of Carvin north of the canal, and only on the 27th could the brigade move north following the rest of 50th Division to Ypres.
Thomas was probably killed in this engagement.
The Sunderland Echo 30/06/1940 reports:-
Mr and Mrs Ben Brown, of Woodstone Terrace, Lumlev Sixth Pit, Fence Houses, have been informed that their son, Pte. Thomas Brown, was killed in action in France last month. They had heard previously from a soldier who was there at the time of his death and assisted in his burial, but they kept on hoping until they received the official letter.
The Chester-le-Street Chronicle and Advertiser 28/06/1940 reports:-
A Memorial service was held in Burnmoor Parish Church on Sunday morning for the late Pte. Thomas Brown, of Lumley Sixth Pit who was killed in France, and Pilot Officer Basil Simpson, who lost his life when his plane crashed in England. The latter lived at Burnmoor before going to Southampton. The Rev. Arthur J. Gadd, C.F., conducted the service and preached from the text ;—"Father Glorify Thy Name." The Rector said Brown was a Choir boy in the Burnmoor Church for 6 years. He was at home on leave at Christmas and could have secured exemption from further service as a miner, but said he must go back as he could not let his pals down. Referring to Simpson he said he was a fine fellow and a devout churchman. Special Hymns sung were "The strife is o'er" and 'Now the labourer's task is over."
Thomas Brown is remembered at Great Lumley on G50.01 and G50.05
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 30
