Person

Thomas Duckworth was born in County Durham sometime in 1893 to his parents, John and Margaret Jane. He had two brothers; John and Jacob, and the family lived at 7 Church Street, Trimdon Foundry; a four room house. Both he and his older brother John worked with their father as coal miners whilst the youngest brother, Jacob, attended school.

The outbreak of the war encouraged Thomas to join up with the military, he decided to enlist and travelled to Stockton-on-tees in-order to do so. There he joined the 5th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), and after training he was deployed to the western front on 13 February 1915.

By April 1915 all of 5 DLI had disembarked in Boulogne, northern France. The battalion was was assigned to the 150th Brigade, which was part of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division. The first major action that Thomas would have been part of is the Second Battle of Ypres in late April of 1915, where Thomas was lucky enough to not become causality at St Julien or on when fighting at Frezenburg Ridge; both places where the Battalion suffered heavy casualties. After over a year of service in France, Thomas and the 5th were deployed to the Somme in September 1916, the chaos of the Somme inflicted even greater causalities; however Thomas was not among them.

The Battle of Arras in April of 1917 would be the last battle Thomas would fight. By 1917 he had been promoted to the rank of Corporal. At Arras the 150th Brigade was involved in actions across the southern end of the battlefield; south from the Scarpe River, attempting to take the high ground around the German held villages. The advance of the 5th got close to taking these objectives but then ran into both a German and British artillery barrage which inflicted heavy losses. Thomas is remembered for his sacrifice at the Arras memorial in France.

Civil Parish: Trimdon

Birth date: 1893

Death date: 23-Apr-1917

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 7 Church Street, Trimdon Foundry (1911 Census)

Employment: Coal miner (1911 Census)

Family: Father: John Duckworth (1911 Census)
Mother: Margaret Jane Duckworth
Brothers: John William Duckworth, Jacob Duckworth

Military service:

1st/5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Regimental Number: 200344
Rank: Corporal
Enlisted: Stockton-on-tees
Disembarked: France, 13 February 1915

Medal(s): Victory Medal
British War Medal
1915 Star Medal

Memorial(s): Arras Memorial Bay 8
Saint Paul’s Church, Trimdon Colliery, panels (now at Trimdon Community Hall)
Saint Paul’s Church, Trimdon Colliery, book of remembrance (now at Trimdon Community Hall)
Trimdon Station Primitive Methodist Church, plaque
Saint Mary Magdalene Church, Trimdon, roll of honour
DLI Book of Remembrance, Durham Cathedral

Gender: Male

Contributed by Daniel Hyatt