Thomas Henry Hastings Wall

A Private with the 1/4th Battalion, Thomas died on 23rd of April 1917 at the age of 28. 

Thomas was born at Lowestoft in 1888, a son of John Thomas and Hannah Wall. In 1891 his family lived at 40 High Street, Gorleston (note some sources state that Thomas was born at Gorleston). In 1901 they lived at 5 Colville Road, Kirkley. By 1911 they were living at 15 Union Place and Thomas was a milkman, hawker or deliverer. Later his parents lived at 15 Colville Road. 

On 17 April 1913 Thomas married Violet Hilda Hall. Thomas was a dairyman and they both lived at 51 Saint Peter’s Street. Later Violet lived at 21 Ontario Road. 

Thomas enlisted in the Army at Ipswich. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 3817. He did not serve overseas before 1916. Thomas was posted to the 1/4th Battalion in France and served with II Platoon, A Company. In 1917 he was renumbered 201227.

On 23 April 1917 the 1/4th Battalion took part in the assault on the German front and support trenches of the Hindenburg Line near the River Sensee. After an artillery barrage the battalion’s advance began at 4.45 a.m. They faced considerable opposition. By 6.30 a.m. B Company were within 200 yards of their objective, but were held up by granatenwerfer (grenade launcher), rifle and machine-gun fire. They held on until 9.30 a.m. when a German counter-attack forced them to withdraw. C and D Companies, with the support of one tank, were able to reach a sunken road by about 9.30 a.m. They also faced considerable opposition and, from 2 p.m. they were forced back by counter-attacks. The battalion was relived during the night. In the assault they had captured about 650 unwounded prisoners, five machine guns and a trench mortar. 

The battalion’s casualties were:
Officers: one killed, eight wounded
Other ranks: 41 killed, 160 wounded, 104 missing   

Thomas was reported missing on 23 April and later presumed to have been killed in action on that date.