Pte 57775 Thomas Howard Brown

• Age: 22
• From: Sunderland
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

Thomas Howard Brown was born in 1895 in Sunderland, the son of Robert Brown who had been born in Norfolk, and his wife Sarah (nee Anderson). The couple were married in 1887 in the Venerable Bede Church, Monk Wearmouth, Durham.

The 1901 census finds the family living at 12 Gosforth Street, Sunderland. The 5 year old Thomas has two older brothers, Robert aged 13 and Stanley aged 11, and twin brothers Albert and Wilfred aged 3 and a baby sister 2 month old Phoebe. Their father Robert is 40 and is working as a shipyard driller, their mother Sarah is 43.

By 1911 the census shows the family have moved to 2 Frank Street, Fulwell, Sunderland. The census records that Sarah, aged 53, has borne 8 children of which 2 have sadly died. All six of the surviving children are living at home. Robert Leonard 23 and Stanley 21 are working as ropemakers, Thomas 15 is a blacksmith and the other children are at school, Albert Edward 13, Wilfred Victor 13, and Phoebe Annie 10. Their father, aged 49, is still working as a driller for an iron ship builder.

Thomas enlisted in Sunderland and was formerly 397, Northumberland Divisional Cyclist Company and following a transfer was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 57775 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 22, during the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18th Battalion was part of 21st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2nd Lieut. Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken. Not far away from this action, an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men were wounded. They were relieved on the 2nd August.

Thomas' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

He was reported in the Weekly Casualty List  of18th September 1917:

WOUNDED.

King's (Liverpool Regiment) - Brown, 57775, T. H.(Sunderland); 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Sarah

Thomas is also remembered on the Seaburn and Fulwell War Memorial.

.The 1939 Register shows his parents still living at 11 Frank Street, Robert, dob 26th Nov 1861, is a retired shipyard driller, Sarah, dob 26th Jan 1858.

His father died, aged 82, in the March quarter of 1943.

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