Pte 48449 Thomas Birkett Yarker

Thomas Birkett Yarker was born in Liverpool in late 1884, the son of Thomas Birkett Yarker and his wife Mary (née Paul).  His parents were both born in Liverpool and married in 1875. They had Catherine, Mary Jane, and John, before moving to Salford, where Isabella was born, and then back to Liverpool, where Thomas and George were born. 

 

In 1891 the family is living at 206 Westminster Road, Kirkdale with five children and two boarders. His father is a weight taker, Thomas is 6 (erroneously listed as 4 years old).

 

His father died at age 46 in 1892

 

In 1901 his widowed mother 50, is head of household at 27 Ruskin Street, Kirkdale.  John, Isabella, Thomas and George are at home. Thomas is 17, employed as a clerk.

 

The 1911 census finds Thomas boarding with Sarah Holland at 45 Upper St. Mary Road, Birmingham.  He is 26 years old, single, employed as a stock clerk for a biscuit manufacturer.  It is possible that his job took him back and forth to the Birmingham area.

 

He married Alice Cropper in Liverpool later in 1911 and their daughter Doris Mary was born on 16th October 1912 in West Bromwich.

His mother died in 1913 aged 65. 

Before enlisting he worked for Jacob’s, the well-known biscuit and cracker company, whose factory opened in Aintree in 1914.

 

A son Thomas Birkett was born on 06th December 1915, and baptised in St. Peter's Church, Aintree, his parents living at 15 Poulter Road and his father’s occupation commercial clerk.  

 

Thomas enlisted in Seaforth (in about July 1916, based in the amount of the War Gratuity). He served as Private 48449 in the 18th Battalion of The  King’s Liverpool Regiment then was transferred at some point to the 20th K.L.R., both Pals battalions.  His record shows that he later served in the 12th K.L.R. before being transferred again.  He was serving in the 4th Bn K.L.R, when he was wounded during the 100 Days Offensive, the Allied push that would soon end the war. 

Thomas died of this wounds on 26th October 1918. 

He now rests at Awoingt British Cemetery, Nord, France, where his headstone bears the epitaph,

“THY WILL BE DONE”

Awoingt British Cemetery was begun in the latter half of October 1918 and used until the middle of December; the village had been captured on 9/10 October. By 28 October, the 38th, 45th and 59th Casualty Clearing Stations were posted in the neighbourhood, and the great majority of the burials were made from those hospitals, but 16 graves in Plot III, Row H, and Plot V, were brought in after the Armistice from the country immediately surrounding the village. Awoingt British Cemetery contains 653 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, including a special memorial to one casualty whose grave in the cemetery cannot now be found. The cemetery also contains 63 war graves of other nationalities, most of them German.

 

His death was published in the Weekly Casualty List on 10th December 1918.

 

His children were 6 and 2 years old when he died. His widow Alice received his effects, including a War Gratuity of £12-10s, and a pension of £1-5s-5d a week for herself and the two children. 

 

Alice died 1927 aged 44, still in Poulter Road.  His son Thomas died in 1998 and daughter Doris lived to the age of 100, and died in 2013.

 

Thomas is commemorated on:

Blue Coat School, Wavertree

Liverpool Central YMCA

St. Peter’s Parish Church, Aintree

W & R Jacob & Co., Fazakerley 

Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 30

 

We currently have no further information on Thomas Birkett Yarker, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.