In Dunston (Christ Church) churchyard is the Commonwealth War Grave of 327201 Private Thomas William Henry Dodds, serving with the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry Regiment  who died 30/12/1917.

He had been transferred to (330935) Labour Corps,

He was the husband of M. E. Brown (formerly Dodds), of 1, Renforth Street, Dunston on Tyne.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

Thomas William Henry Dodds was the youngest of his siblings and the only son of Thomas Dodds and Alice Haslam. 

His father Thomas Dodds was born in 1856 at Moorsley, near Hetton le Hole, district of Easington, County Durham, Alice originated from Milford, Derbyshire where she was born in 1859. They were married in the district of Easington in 1876, however, Alice had returned to her home in Derbyshire to give birth to their first child, Rebecca Jane, born in the district of Belper in 1877. 

By 1881 they had settled in rooms at 84, Fife Street, Gateshead, historically in County Durham, with an addition to the family, Jane, who was born in 1879. Thomas was employed as a coal miner. Over the next 10 years Alice gave birth to a further 3 children, all girls, Eliza in 1883 at Gateshead, Alice in 1886 at Elswick, a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne and Mary in 1888 at Gateshead, however they had moved a few miles away by 1891 to 19, Hill Street, Birtley, and taken into their home Thomas’s uncle, William Dodds, he too was a coal miner. A year later they had moved to Whickham by the time their daughter Matilda, affectionately known as Tilda was born but had returned to Gateshead where Thomas William Henry was born in 1894.

Thomas and Alice separated during the coming years and divorced. Thomas Dodds remarried in 1902 to Rebecca Cockburn to whom he left his entire effects upon his demise in 1911, whilst they were living at 100, Woodbine Street, Gateshead, County Durham. 

Alice also remarried in 1902 to Robert Bucham at Gateshead with whom she raised her children. Newly married they settled at Drury Building, Whickham, Robert was employed as a coal hewer at the colliery. Although Alice (15), Mary (13), Tilda (9) and Thomas (7) were of school age in the census of 1901 they were not listed as scholars. 

By 1911 Robert had moved his family to Colliery Row, Dunston, Gateshead, he was still employed as a hewer. Only Thomas Dodds and his sister Matilda were still living at home. Matilda assisted her mother with household duties, Thomas was employed by the Cooperative Wholesale Society as a labourer at their soapworts, situated on Colliery Road. To increment the family income they had taken in a boarder, coal miner/shifter, 21 year old John Watson, born at South Shields.

Thomas William Henry Dodds was married Mary Ellen Leonard at Dunston Parish Church, February 14th 1914 also known as Mary Elizabeth, born February 24th 1894. Their daughter Matilda Alice was born, July 3rd 1914 and baptised in Dunston Parish Church, July 16th.

When war with Germany was declared, August 4th 1914, the Dodds family were living at 10, Athol Street, Dunston, Gateshead. Thomas Dodds left his employment as a labourer and enlisted, September 3rd 1914, at Newcastle upon Tyne and assigned as Private 4969 to the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry of the Territorial Force. 

Although the 9th Battalion D.L.I. departed to France, April 19th 1915, Private Dodds was not amongst them. In 1917 when the Territorial Force was renumbered he became Private 327201 but was them transferred to the Labour Corps when it was formed in February 1917 and posted to the 297th Reserve Labour Corps as Private 330395, spending his service based in the U.K.

Private 330395 Thomas William Henry Dodds died of pneumonia, December 30th 1917, at the 1st Northern General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, which had taken over one of the building at Armstrong College, Newcastle. He was 23 years of age.

His widow who was living at 2, Orchard Place, Colliery Row, Dunston, Gateshead, County Durham, received all monies due to her late husband, his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal, also a pension of 20 shillings 5 pence, awarded March 31st 1918 to be received as of August 26th 1918, for herself and their child until Matilda reached the age of 16 years.

Private 330395 Thomas William Henry Dodds was buried within Dunston Christ Church Churchyard, grave C. 24. Mary Elizabeth/Ellen commissioned at a cost of 14 shilling 3 pence an additional inscription to be added to his headstone, it reads, “EVER REMEMBERED BY HIS WIFE, MOTHER, STEP FATHER AND SISTERS.” 

Christ Church was demolished in 1978 and all gravestones removed although the internments were left undisturbed. In order to honour Private Dodds and the 8 other war dead buried there a CWGC Special Memorial was erected, April 14th 1982, at Gateshead (Saltwell) Cemetery, Low Fell, Gateshead, historically County Durham, now Tyne & Wear.

It should be noted the CWGC have listed Private Dodds in their records using his original service number of 327201.

His widow remarried at Gateshead in 1919 to Joseph W. Brown and lived at 1, Renforth Street, Dunston. It has been impossible to pinpoint the date of the demise of Mary Elizabeth/Ellen Brown-Dodds nee Leonard due to the popularity of the surname Brown. Matilda Alice Dodds may have died at Gateshead, in 1925, only 10 years of age.

Thomas William Henry’s mother Alice Bucham-Dodds nee Haslam died at Gateshead, County Durham in 1928.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

Thomas William Henry Dodds is remembered at Dunston on D38.04,  at Dunston Hill on D31.01 and at Gateshead on G39.62.