Peter Wise and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
Thomas was born on May 18th1897 at East Hartlepool the son of Thomas and Margaret.
1901 Tom was living at 25 North View, Chilton Moor near Fence Houses. His father was a coal miner shifter by trade.
Tom’s mother Margaret died in 1908 so by the time of the 1911 census Tom was living with his father’s family at Barnard Castle. His grandmother Mary and aunts Martha an invalid and Dorothy a dressmaker, also Robert a student who was Tom's cousin. Tom attended school in Barnard Castle.
His father remained at Fence Houses.
Tom joined the army enlisting at Barnard Castle and seems to have been wounded along with some of his mates in May 1915. The following article was published in the Teesdale Mercury on 12/05/1915:-
“Among the local men wounded in F Company 6th DLI are Sergeant Horace Beer and Privates John Buley, T. Stokeld, W. Walker, W. Nelson and Private T. Sewell, Cockfield.”
Tom was killed in action on July 10th 1916. He had been working with a Lewis gun party and was just about to be relieved when he was shot by a sniper. C.S.M. Stembridge wrote that the news was a shock to the Barnard Castle boys and they all expressed their sympathy.
All his effects were left to aunt Dorothy.
Thomas Albert Stokeld is remembered at Barnard Castle on B135.02, B135.23 and B135.25
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 182 where his entry is wrongly shown as Stockeld.
