Thomas Carpenter

Private Thomas William Carpenter – Welsh Regiment, 2^nd Battalion

Early Life

George Thomas Carpenter and Mary Jane Summerfield
marriage certificate
St. Mary's church

Thomas William Carpenter was born in Swansea in 1888, the son of George Thomas Carpenter and Mary Jane Summerfield, who had married at St. Mary’s Church, Swansea, in 1877. At the time of their marriage, George was recorded as a mariner living at the Gloster Hotel, while Mary was living at 2 Caer Street.

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, George had died, leaving Mary a widow at the age of 36. She was living at 57 Vincent Street, Swansea, working as a charwoman. Her children were George W. (14), an errand boy; Richard J. (13); Henry J. (9); Mary J. (4); and Thomas W. (3), all of whom were at school. This census provides the first official record confirming his name as Thomas W., rather than William T.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, Mary and two of her children were living at 24 Roseland Terrace, Sketty. Mary, now 46, was still working as a charwoman. Her daughter Mary (15) was a domestic nurse, while Thomas (12) was employed as an errand boy. A boarder, Annie Magrath (64), a school governess, also lived with them.

1911 Census

In the 1911 Census, Thomas had moved away from Swansea. At 22 years old, he was employed as an auctioneer’s assistant and was boarding at 56 Lord Haddon Road, Ilkeston, Nottinghamshire.

Military Service

When the First World War began, Thomas enlisted in the Welsh Regiment, 2^nd Battalion. The battalion was part of the 3^rd Brigade, 1^st Division, and was heavily engaged in the fighting on the Western Front.

In the final phase of the Battle of Loos, fought between 8^th and 13^th October 1915, the British Army launched renewed assaults against the Hohenzollern Redoubt, one of the most strongly defended German positions. These attacks were met with devastating artillery and machine-gun fire, and gains were minimal. Casualties mounted heavily as units, including the 2^nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, attempted to seize and hold ground under relentless counterattacks.

Death

It was amid this desperate fighting on 12^th October 1915 that Private Thomas William Carpenter was killed in action. He was 27 years old.

Burial

Thomas Carpenter
Dud Corner Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Thomas is buried at Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos, which contains the graves of over 3,000 soldiers killed during the battle, many of them from the Welsh Regiment and other units of the 1st Division.

Legacy

Thomas Carpenter is remembered not only for his service with the 2^nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment but also as one of the many young men of Swansea whose lives were cut short during the Great War. His sacrifice is commemorated in Dud Corner Cemetery and locally on the St. Paul’s Church war memorial, Sketty, ensuring that his name lives on within the community he left behind.