PARWICH.ORG

Thank you to Caroline Colvin for sending us the following.

I read on parwich.org that you are gathering information on the people named on the war memorial and have read with interest details already posted. I believe the following information relates to the THOMAS HADFIELD named on the war memorial and may also be of some interest:

Pte THOMAS HADFIELD, Lincolnshire Regiment, died 15/07/1917. Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium.

THOMAS was the son of Isaac and Sarah Ann (née Kirkham) Hadfield who lived at Lenscliffe, Parwich.

Thomas seems to have worked as a railway flagman before joining the army. He joined up to 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, in August 1914 (reg. no. 10594), and served for a total of two years 323 days before he was killed in action (place unknown) on 15/16? July 1917. (His documents state he was 28 years old on joining the army in 1914, although this does not tie-in with his age on various other documents, census records etc.)

Serving in Egypt and France, he posthumously received the British War and Victory medals and 1914-15 Star. He was of Wesleyan faith and the only articles of private property noted as returned to his sisters after his death were two religious books. He was unmarried.

Thomas’ sister, Alice Gamble (née Hadfield), who emigrated to Canada in 1928 was my great grandmother.

There will be more on Thomas in a future History Society News Quarterly.  If anyone has a photograph of him, both Caroline and ourselves would be very pleased to hear from you (parwich@hotmail.co.uk).