Photo: Derek Haynes
T. Greener
Royal Field Artillery
3rd May 1918.
Derek Haynes has provided the following:
The birth of Thomas was registered in the September Q 1896 in the registration district of Sunderland; he was the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Ann Greener. In 1901 he and his mother were residing with Elizabeth’s parents Thomas and Mary Ann Greener in 2 rooms at 23 Carley Road, Southwick. Also residing there were the younger siblings of Elizabeth, Mary Emma, Annie, Thomas and Ralph; by this time the elder brother William had left home. In the June Q 1906 Elizabeth married Robert Harvey, a shipyard Boilermaker. They had three children:
Elizabeth Ovington Harvey born March Q 1909
Sarah G. Harvey born September Q 1912
John Harvey born March Q 1915
All the births were registered in Sunderland.
When Elizabeth married Robert Harvey, Thomas did not take his stepfather’s surname; he continued to use his birth surname.
A number of illegitimate children took their stepfather’s surname when their mother married, but there were those who still used the surname they were born with.
At the time of the 1911 census Thomas, now aged 15 years and employed as an Apprentice Grocer, was residing at 9 Varna Street, Southwick, with his mother and stepfather and their first child Elizabeth.
The only available army service records for Thomas inform us that he served as a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery, having the service number 73054. At some time during his Army service Thomas was wounded, he returned to England where he was admitted into Stockport Military Hospital. Sadly Thomas died on the 3rd May 1918.
The Southwick Cemetery burial records state Thomas died at the Military Hospital while the website www.forces-war-records.co.uk state he died at home. I feel that when the website records “died at home” it means England and not his home address of 38 Back Cornhill Road, Southwick.
A week after his death on the 10th May 1918 Thomas was laid to rest in Section 3, Grave no. 842 of Southwick Cemetery. A CWGC headstone marks his final resting place.
I have so far been unable to find death records for Robert and Elizabeth Harvey, Thomas’s stepfather and mother.
Thomas Greener is remembered in Millfield on M44.02, in Sunderland on S140.048 page 265. He is also listed in Peter Gibson's book
