Carole Fife has provided the following.
Tom was born in Barrington in 1885, the fourth of eight children to Robert and Mary Jane, and he is unusual in that although all of his siblings have two first names he was registered simply as Tom. In 1901 the family was living at South Row, Bedlington Colliery, but although Robert was a miner he seems to have made sure that his sons did not go down the pit. One son was a greengrocer's assistant, another was a blacksmith's apprentice and Tom was a hairdresser. He married Elizabeth Jennings in 1910, and in 1911 he was living in Jubilee Terrace, Bedlington Station, later moving to Osborne House in Puddlers' Row. They had a son, Joseph Jennings Smith in 1914. Tom must have done well as a hairdresser because in his will he left £425 to his wife and son, although it took many years to prove the will. Tom enlisted in Newcastle and joined the Leicestershire Regiment. He died during the Third battle of Ypres but his body was never found.
He is remembered in Bedlington Station on B163.04
