Pte
Thomas Edward Duff
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1876 |
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Place of birth: Gateshead, Durham, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Gateshead, Durham, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Metal Cleaner |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 20332 |
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Enlistment place: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Fusiliers, 9th Bn. (County Armagh) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Pommern Castle & Redoubt, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 41 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XI Row: G Grave: 10 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Thomas Edward Duff was born around 1876 in Gateshead, Durham. He worked as a laborer in a steel factory. He lived in the now-vanished Burdon Street, Gateshead, with his wife Mary and their three sons.
Thomas enlisted and served from October 1915 on the Western Front, first with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, later with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers assembled in an old trench running from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their task: to advance toward the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, about 1.5 kilometers away.
Just moments after advancing under machine-gun fire, the men were stopped at Hill 35. Yet despite continuous machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion succeeded in capturing Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers was lost, while artillery fire continued to roll in, increasingly exposing the troops to German fire.
A platoon remained behind to consolidate Hill 35 while the attack continued. The Fusiliers advanced until they encountered a double line of barbed wire at Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire was destroyed in only one or two places, forcing the men to wriggle through. It was precisely at these bottlenecks that German machine guns opened fire — from dug-outs at Gallipoli, Aisne Farm, and Martha House north of Hill 35, and from Hill 37 to the east, along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The consequences were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to withdraw and consolidated its positions in a trench in front of Hill 35. But even there, continuous machine-gun fire from Hill 37 made the position untenable. They withdrew again, this time to a trench on the southern flank of Hill 35.
This position connected to the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division on their right. But when that division was also pushed back by German counterattacks, the Fusiliers’ right flank was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, they were fired upon in the flank by German machine guns. With no cover remaining on their right, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers eventually had to fall back to their original lines. The attack was a complete failure.
Thomas Edward Duff, aged 41, was killed during the attack on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Pommern Castle & Redoubt. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XI, Row G, Grave 10.
Thomas enlisted and served from October 1915 on the Western Front, first with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, later with the 9th Battalion (County Armagh) of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, part of the 108th Brigade in the 36th (Ulster) Division.
During the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers assembled in an old trench running from Pommern Redoubt — the battalion headquarters — to Iberian Farm. Their task: to advance toward the Zonnebeke–Langemark road, about 1.5 kilometers away.
Just moments after advancing under machine-gun fire, the men were stopped at Hill 35. Yet despite continuous machine-gun fire from Somme and Gallipoli, the battalion succeeded in capturing Hill 35. Meanwhile, contact with the 7/8th Royal Irish Fusiliers was lost, while artillery fire continued to roll in, increasingly exposing the troops to German fire.
A platoon remained behind to consolidate Hill 35 while the attack continued. The Fusiliers advanced until they encountered a double line of barbed wire at Gallipoli, north of Hill 35. The wire was destroyed in only one or two places, forcing the men to wriggle through. It was precisely at these bottlenecks that German machine guns opened fire — from dug-outs at Gallipoli, Aisne Farm, and Martha House north of Hill 35, and from Hill 37 to the east, along the Zonnebeke–Langemark road. The consequences were devastating.
Further advance proved impossible. The battalion was forced to withdraw and consolidated its positions in a trench in front of Hill 35. But even there, continuous machine-gun fire from Hill 37 made the position untenable. They withdrew again, this time to a trench on the southern flank of Hill 35.
This position connected to the lines of the 16th (Irish) Division on their right. But when that division was also pushed back by German counterattacks, the Fusiliers’ right flank was exposed. From Iberian Farm, south of Hill 35, they were fired upon in the flank by German machine guns. With no cover remaining on their right, the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers eventually had to fall back to their original lines. The attack was a complete failure.
Thomas Edward Duff, aged 41, was killed during the attack on Hill 35. He was initially buried in the field near Pommern Castle & Redoubt. After the war, he received his final resting place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XI, Row G, Grave 10.
Sources 6
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9 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2505/2). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO372). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
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Cunliffe, M., Passchendaele: The Royal Irish Fusiliers : 1793-1968. (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1970) 324-327. Sources used |
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Harris, H., The Royal Irish Fusiliers (the 87th and 89th Regiments of Foot). (London, Leo Cooper, 1972) 100-103. Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele: The Day-By-Day Account (Londen, Arms & Armour, 2018) 52-55. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462628 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=dc7571f7-1c4d-48c0-a43d-9d817056e906 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1706894 |