William Thomas
A Private with 54th (1/1st East Anglian) Casualty Clearing Station, William died on 13th August 1915 at the age of 33.
William was born at Saint Ives, Cornwall, in 1882, a son of William and Sarah Jane Thomas. He was baptised at Saint Ives on 18 October 1882. By 1891 his family were living at 26 Beaconsfield Road, Kirkley. By 1901 they had moved to 59 Beaconsfield Road and William became a gasfitter's apprentice.
By 1911 his family had moved to 32 Salisbury Road, Lowestoft, and William worked as a gas fitter.
William was living at 32 Salisbury Road when he volunteered and he joined the Army on 9 February 1915. he served with the local territorial unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps which became part of the 54th (1/1st East Anglian) Casualty Clearing Station.
William embarked the Royal Edward at Devonport on 30 July 1915 and arrived at Alexandria on 11 August 1915. The Royal Edward sailed for Gallipoli on 12 August, but was torpedoed and sunk on 13 August. William was reported 'missing, believed drowned in the sinking of the Royal Edward.'
During the First World War William's family moved to Devonport and lived at 80 Admiralty Street, Keyham, Devonport.
The following men served with the Lowestoft detachment of the Royal Army Medical Corps and most were on board the Royal Edward when it was torpedoed on 13 August 1915.
Men from Lowestoft – drowned:
BROWN George
CLAY Christopher
COATES Reginald Rowland
HALL Harry Hayward
LEEDS Claude Henry
MALLETT Robert Samuel
OLDFIELD Charles Robert
POPPY Harry Charles
REYNOLDS Frank
ROBERTS Ernest William
SMITH Henry William
THOMAS William
Men from Lowestoft – survived:
CLARKE John Welham
GARWOOD Frederick (died from pleurisy 1918)
Men enlisted at, but not from Lowestoft, drowned:
ALLDRIGDE William John
BAYFIELD Samuel
Another Lowestoft man, John William FAIRWEATHER, was posted to another medical unit and did not sail on the Royal Edward.
Samuel Augustus PIKE who also came from Lowestoft, but lived in Cambridge, also served with the East Anglian Field Ambulance and was lost when the Royal Edward was sunk.
Tags
William Thomas
32
Salisbury Road
Lowestoft
United Kingdom
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