Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Ferry was born at Hendon, County Durham in 1892, one of 10 children, 6 boys, 1 girl and 3 deceased (gender unknown) offspring of William Ferry born March 15th 1864 at Ballast Hill, Bishop Wearmouth, Sunderland and his wife Dorothy Mustard of Sunderland, County Durham born June 7th 1867. William and Dorothy were married at Sunderland Registry Office, February 20th 1886. William Ferry worked as a riveter at the shipyards and they were living at 2 Cliffe Terrace, Bishop Wearmouth in 1891 later moving to 22 Trimdon Street by 1911.
Thomas Ferry at the age of 16 was a reservist having joined, May 8th 1908, the 4th Battalion Durham Light Infantry as Private 7766 for a period of 6 years, although he continued his employment as a boilermaker at the shipyards and in 1912 married Hannah Dawson, their only son William was born the following year. Little more than a year after his reservist period ended, war with Germany was declared July 23rd 1914. Thomas enlisted for the duration of the war at Sunderland, September 8th 1914 and was assigned as Private 10692 3rd Battalion Durham Light Infantry, later transferred to the 2nd Battalion he was drafted to France, January 5th 1915.
During 1914 the 2nd Battalion had lost 80% of its original fighting force, killed or wounded and had been withdrawn from the front awaiting reinforcements. In the spring of 1915 the Germans attacked Ypres, April 22nd, inflicting heavy British losses. The first of the service battalions of the New Army arrived in France during May and July and were sent to the Ypres salient at the chateau of Hooge, just north of the Menin Road. The 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry attached to the 6th Division was tasked to retake the old line and they had to face a 500 yard advance towards the German line at bayonet point and in the early hours of August 9th they overran the German trenches.
Private 10692 Thomas Ferry Durham Light Infantry died at the actions of the Hooge, August 9th 1915. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 54,395 names inscribed on the Menin Gate to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, panel 36-38. It commemorates the officers and men from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth who perished on the Ypres salient and whose bodies have never been found or identified, up to August 15th 1917. Thomas was 23 years old.
His widow Hannah received all monies due to him, a pension of 15 shillings a week for herself and their son William as of December 13th 1916 along with his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Hannah Ferry was remarried in 1922 to John J. Stephenson in the district of Sunderland and lived at 5, Back Aylmer Street, Deptford, Sunderland.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Ferry is remembered at Sunderland in S140.48 Part 2
