In Cross Roads Cemetery, Fontaine-au-Bois, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 50977 Private Thomas Brown Craig, serving with the 9th Battalion Cheshire Regiment who died 07/11/1918.

In Hexham Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:

In
Loving memory of
Sarah
relict of the late
Jacob Craig
of Garrigill, Cumberland
who died June 15th 1917
aged 75 years.

Also of
Thomas Brown Craig
their son, who was killed
in France, Nov. 7th 1918,
aged 35 years.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

Thomas Brown Craig was the third born of 4 sons, offspring of Jacob Craig and Sarah Brown.

Jacob Craig was born in Allendale, Northumberland in 1834 where he was baptised, April 20th. At the age of 17 he was working as a lead ore miner living with his family at Stone House, in the village of Catton, Hambleton, North Yorkshire. Ten years later he was still at the same address but listed as an iron ore dresser. Between 1861 and 1871 he left Northumberland and moved to Cumberland.

Jacob Craig was married at Garrigill, October 18th 1871 to a local girl Sarah  Brown born in 1841. Sarah was the daughter of John Brown and Elizabeth Bird. 

Their eldest son John was born at Garrigill in the parish of Alston, historically in Cumberland in 1877. In 1881 they were living in the village of Garrigill Gate, Jacob was employed as a lead miner and agent. Alfred Craig was born in 1881, Thomas Brown Craig in 1882 but sadly their son Alfred died in 1883, he was almost 2 years old, William Bird Craig was born in 1884.

Mining engineer Jacob Craig died June 3rd 1887 at Garrigill where he was buried June 8th. His effects in the sum of £1974 12 shillings 11 pence were assigned to his widow Sarah, who by 1891 had transferred her family to Quake Bras, Hexham, Northumberland. Sarah is listed as living on her own means, all three boys, 13, 8, and 6, were scholars.

In 1901 her sons were still living with her at 7, Portland Terrace, Hexham. John (23) was employed as a rural postman, Thomas (18) as a merchant’s clerk, William (16) was as yet unemployed. All three were still unmarried in 1911 and now supporting not only their mother but her widowed sister Phoebe Johnson. They occupied 7 rooms at 15, Leazes Crescent, Hexham. John (39) worked as a warehouseman for a seed merchant, Thomas (28) as a corn merchant’s clerk and William (26) was a solicitors clerk.

When war was declared with Germany on August 4th 1914 men from all walks of life volunteered in answer to Kitchener’s call to arms and the order that all regiments raise new battalions. Thomas Brown Craig, employed as a clerk/cashier was attested at Hexham, December 8th 1915 and the next day posted to the Army Reserve.

He was not called upon to serve until February 15th 1917 when he was mobilised and posted as Private T5/77789 to the 89th Battalion Training Reserve, 20th Reserve Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, stationed at Blyth, Northumberland. In addition to the usual training he underwent a week of training in musketry and bombing.

With a change of service number, Private 50977 departed to France with the British Expeditionary Force, May 3rd 1917, embarking at Folkestone and disembarking the same day at Boulogne. In France he posted to the 9th Battalion Cheshire Regiment attached to the 58th Light Trench Mortar Battery, joining them in the field as part of the 58th Brigade, 19th (Western) Division.

The 9th Battalion Cheshire Regiment moved to Belgium, in action at the Battles of Messines, June 7th-14th. and the Third Battle of Ypres, July 31st-November 10th 1917.

Private Craig would have received, in due course, word from home that his mother Sarah Craig nee Brown had died June 15th, at her home address of 15, Leazes Terrace, the cause given was a cerebral haemorrhage. His brother John was present at the death.

July 18th 1917, Private Craig was wounded, a gun shot wound to the right shoulder and did not return to duty until July 30th. He was injured a second time, September 13th 1917, whilst carrying stokes bombs he slipped and cut both hands on a corrugated sheet. There was a full enquiry into the incident as was the case with all seemly accidental incidents to be sure this was not self inflicted in order to be moved away from the front line or indeed shipped home.

Witness to the incident Sgt. C Crowther 58th Light Trench Mortar Battery gave a deposition taken by the 2nd Lieutenant in charge of the 58th L.T.M.B., which reads, “I was in charge of a working party at 11:30 p.m. on the night of 13/9/17 when Craig one of my party slipped and in falling sustained injuries to both hands. The night was pitch dark and it was a pure accident.” September 19th the enquiry concluded the incident was an accident, by which time Private Craig had been evacuated back through the lines and repatriated to the United Kingdom aboard H.M.H.S. “Newhaven.” Upon his arrival in the U.K. he was admitted September 18th 1917 to the City Of London Red Cross Hospital, Finsbury Square, EC2 where he received treatment for lacerations to his hands, and remained until October 17th 1917.

After a period of recuperation and retraining Private Craig embarked at Southampton April 3rd 1918 and arrived at the Infantry Base Depot at Rouen that sane day where he was posted to the 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment but reposted to the 9th Battalion, April 6th. He joined his regiment in the field, April 7th 1918, where it fought at Messines, Bailleul and Kemmel Ridge in Belgium, during the Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres.

June 17th 1918, during day to day trench warfare, Private Craig received a gun shot wound to the face and was admitted to the 3rd General Hospital at Le Tréport. After a period of recuperation spent at the adjacent Convalescent Depot, he returned to the Infantry Base Depot, July 6th and reposted to the 9th Cheshire Regiment, July 14th 1918.

The 9th Battalion Cheshire Regiment did not take part in any major offensive in 1918 until the Battle of Aisne and during the Final Advance to Victory when the regiment was in action during the Battle of the Selle, the 2nd Battle of Sambre and the passage of the Grand Honnelle. At the Armistice, November 11th 1918, they were in billets at Bavay.

Private 50977 Thomas Brown Craig Cheshire Regiment was killed in action, November 7th 1918 during the 2nd Battle of Sambre, his body buried on the battlefield by his comrades at map reference 51. H14. C.8,4. together with Private L. Feldman, their graves marked with crosses bearing their military details. This was catalogued incorrectly listing Private Craig as Royal Field Artillery and Private Feldman as Cheshire Regiment and the date of their demise as November 8th 1918.

Four days after Private Craig was killed in action the guns fell silent with the declaration of the Armistice of November 11th 1918 a bitter blow to his family.

Thomas’ brother John Craig as next of kin and executor, received all monies due to his late brother from the Army and his private effects in the sum of £762 19 shillings June 11th 1919. John requested that Private Craig’s medals consisting of the British War Medal and Victory Medal, be sent to him care of George A. Dixon Solicitor, 1, Town Hall Chambers, Hexham. March 5th 1919 he was sent Thomas’ remaining personal items; a Religious book, wallet, dentures, pouch and scissors.

After the Armistice at the request of the French and Belgian Governments the clearing of the battlefields began. Isolated graves and small concentrations were brought into larger cemeteries for reburial. To this effect his brother John Craig would have received a letter informing him of the necessity to exhume the body of his late brother and assured that reinternment would be undertaken with all care and reverence in the presence of an Army Chaplain.

Private Thomas Brown Craig and Private L. Feldman were exhumed and brought into Cross Roads Cemetery, Fontaine-Au-Bois, Nord, France. During the process the error as regards their military regiments was corrected and the date of their demise changed to November 7th 1918. Works completed, December 9th 1920. 

At the time of his demise in 1918 Private 50977 Thomas Brown Craig Cheshire Regiment was 35 years of age and single.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

Thomas Brown Craig is remembered at Hexham on H51.03, H51.06, H51.26, H51.51 and H51.52