Lieutenant Thomas Crompton (29/08/1896 – 13/4/1918)
Thomas Crompton was born in Swinton on 29th August 1896. He was one of three children to Thomas Alfred and Mary Crompton and lived at The Beeches 255 Worsley Road, Swinton, Manchester. Like many, it looks like Thomas lied about his age in order to enlist in January 1915 (you had to be 19 years old at the time, he would have been 18 years old). Thomas enlisted in Manchester on the 26/1/1915 and joined the 19th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Public Schools Battalion).
After serving in the trenches in France and Belgium. In May 1916 he was put forward for a commission and went to Officer Cadet training in Gailes, Ayrshire. On 26th September 1916 after successfully completing his officer training, he was given a commission of 2nd Lieutenant with The Queens (Royal West Surrey) regiment and a further commission to Lieutenant on 26 March 1918. These were both published in the London Gazette.
Below is a photograph of the officers in the 1st Battalion The Queens Royal West Surrey taken in 1917. It shows Thomas on the front row kneeling down, 4th from the left.
Details of Thomas’s day to day life with the Queens can be read in detail in the regiment’s war diaries. These can be found at the following link – http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/war_diaries/war_diaries_home_new.shtml
Thomas served with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of The Queens between 1916 and 1918. The following is taken from the Queens Royal West Surreys war diaries, 5th January 1917 –
At the end of February 1917, Thomas was struck down with Scarlet Fever. The below documents from the army medical board show details of this and his recovery over the following months.
Battle of Hazebrouck 12th-15th April 1918
Lt Thomas Crompton died on 13th April 1918 during the Battle of Hazebrouck fought 12th-15th April 1918. This battle was part of a German offensive known as the Lys Offensive. Details of this battle and the whole campaign can be read here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Lys_(1918) On the morning of 13th April 1918. Thomas was in command of B Company 1st Battalion, The Queens Royal West Surrey, dug in south of the town of Meteren, near the villages of Merris and Outtersteene. Their position is marked with the two blue crosses on the below WW1 map and aerial photo now-
Above is a photo taken by the Royal Flying Corps in July 1918 looking south east from the town of Meteren over where Thomas died. You will notice the fork in the road where the white arrow is (marked 27b). Below is a similar view from today with the red cross showing on both pictures the rough position of B company’s final position on 13th April 1918.
Details of what happened to Thomas and B Company can be found in the regiments’ war diary for 13/4/1918.
Later it confirms the officer casualties for the 13th April and reports Thomas as missing. Note Lt I.T.P. Hughes who was wounded. He would survive the war and go onto the rank of Major General in the British army.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivor_Hughes
The below picture was taken near to the village of Merris after the battle of Hazebrouck in 1918.
The below picture shows the field where Thomas died taken 100 years from when he went missing. (13/04/2018 @ 8:45am). His final position was roughly facing the camera, between where the two trees are.
Thomas was reported missing in Several local newspapers after the battle.
After the war ended Thomas’s medal card was sent to his father in Swinton, Manchester.
What happened to Thomas only became apparent in 1919 when Cpl Leonard L Priddle replied to a letter from the war office explaining what happened to Thomas on 13th April 1918.
Cpl Leonard Priddle was taken prisoner of war on 13th April 1918, most probably at the same time Thomas was killed. This can be seen from the German POW records.
Below are the two letters sent to Thomas’s father Thomas Alfred Crompton informing him of the evidence received from Cpl Priddle.
Lt Thomas Cromptons name is inscribed on Ploegsteert Memorial, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium, CWGC reference: Panel 1 and 2.
Note the name of Lt J.A. Dickinson who died in the same battle on the 13th April in Merris, France. His D Company were defending Belle Croix farm further up the road from where Thomas’s B Company were dug in. Details on the below link. http://tonbridgeatwar.daisy.websds.net/Authenticated/ViewDets.aspx?RecID=108&TableName=ta_factfile
Below is the memorial at Outtersteene Communial Cemetery. it is situated about 1km from where Thomas died. It contains 1,393 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 499 of the burials are unidentified. Four of the burials are soldiers from The Royal West Surrey regiment who all died on the 13th April 1918. Two of whom are unidentified, maybe Thomas Crompton is one of them.
The following link will take you to photographs taken by 2nd Lieutenant David McLellan and courtesy of the Imperial War Museum. They were taken around the village of Merris on 12th and 13th April 1918.
Lieutenant Thomas Crompton 