Thomas Herbert Kift

 Bombardier Thomas Herbert Kift – Royal Field Artillery, “D” Battery, 177^th Brigade

Thomas Herbert Kift

Thomas Herbert Kift was born in 1895 in Mumbles, the eldest son of Thomas Kift and Elizabeth Emma Hammett, who were married in 1893.

Early Life

1901 Census

According to the 1901 Census, the Kift family were living at Village Lane, Mumbles. Thomas (39) was employed as a Mason’s Labourer, and his wife Elizabeth (28) cared for their growing family. Their children were Carrie (8), Herbert (6), Dorris (5), May (3), William (2), and Roselie (7 months). Also living with them was George Hammett (59), Elizabeth’s father, who worked as a General Labourer.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 13 Village Lane, Mumbles. Thomas (49) was employed as a General Labourer, and Elizabeth (36) managed the home. Their children were Thomas Herbert (16), working as a Farm Labourer; Mary (13); Roselie (11); Jack (9); Ivor (6); and Cyril (3). The older children attended school in Oystermouth.

Military Service

When the First World War broke out, Thomas Herbert Kift enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), serving with “D” Battery, 177^th Brigade.

The Royal Field Artillery was responsible for providing close and medium-range artillery support to the infantry. Each brigade consisted of several batteries equipped with 18-pounder field guns and 4.5-inch howitzers, vital for both bombardment and defensive operations.

The 177^th Brigade, RFA, was attached to the 16^th (Irish) Division, which was heavily engaged in the Ypres Salient during 1917. In the weeks before the Battle of Messines Ridge (7^th–14^th June 1917), the brigade took part in the intensive artillery bombardments that preceded the assault — targeting enemy trenches, wire, and gun emplacements.

When the offensive began, the Royal Field Artillery provided devastating covering fire that supported the successful capture of Messines Ridge, one of the most decisive British victories of the war. However, German counter-shelling was severe, and artillery units like Kift’s “D” Battery sustained significant casualties from retaliatory fire.

Death

Bombardier Thomas Herbert Kift was wounded during artillery operations in Flanders shortly after the Battle of Messines Ridge and died of his wounds on 20^th June 1917, aged 22.

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

The Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects confirm his death under his full name. Given his unit’s position and duties at the time, it is likely that he was injured by enemy shellfire during continued bombardments or counter-battery fire near Klein-Vierstraat — a sector south of Ypres that saw constant artillery duels during June 1917.

Burial

Thomas Herbert Kift
Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery
credit - findagrave

He is buried at Klein-Vierstraat British Cemetery, located near Ypres (Ieper) in Belgium. The cemetery was established by field ambulances and artillery units in 1915 and continued in use throughout the war. It contains the graves of many artillerymen who, like Thomas, died from wounds sustained in the nearby Flanders front.

Legacy

Bombardier Thomas Herbert Kift was one of several young men from Mumbles who served with distinction in the Royal Field Artillery during the Great War. His courage and sacrifice are part of the community’s enduring remembrance of those who gave their lives.

His name is commemorated on the memorial of the former Methodist Church, Mumbles, alongside other local men who fell in the First World War.

Through this memorial and his resting place in Belgium, Bombardier Thomas Herbert Kift is remembered with honour — a young man of Mumbles who gave his life in service of his country during one of the most decisive artillery campaigns of the Great War.