L/Cpl
Thomas Henry Ackerley
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1895 |
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Place of birth: Altrincham, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Eccles, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Lance Corporal |
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Service number: 280198 |
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Enlistment place: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 11th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 10/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Douglas Villa, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXVIII Row: A Grave: 16 |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Thomas Henry Ackerley was born in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England in September 1895. He was the son of Thomas Ackerley and Eliza Ann Ackerley. He had four siblings: Elizabeth Hannah Ackerley (born about 1890), Ernest Ackerley (born about 1894), George William Ackerley (born about 1908) and Edith Ackerley (born about 1911). He later lived in Eccles, Greater Manchester, England. He enlisted in the British Army from Salford, Greater Manchester, England, as a lance corporal. He belonged to the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment (74th Brigade, 25th Division).
Thomas died during the Battle of the Westhoek around the modern-day centre of Ypres. This battle was the second battle in the Battle of Passchendaele. The battle was actually scheduled for 2 August 1917, but was postponed to 10 August because of heavy rainfall, which turned the battlefield into swamps. During the battle, two British divisions advanced against the German defences on the Geluvelt Plateau, south-east of Ypres. The battle lasted only one day because of heavy losses, mainly due to incessant artillery fire.
The 74th Brigade attacked with four battalions, including the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment, at 4.35 am, after a 25-minute barrage. The attacking troops consisted of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment, the 13th Battalion Chesire Regiment, the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles and the 9th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. The brigade set off from the line between Rabbit Villa and slightly beyond Westhoek. The brigade took the outpost line. From 8 am to 12 am, the battalion was hit by heavy German bombardment of the original front line. They lost many men to snipers and artillery fire. Until 2 pm, things were fairly quiet. But from 3.45 pm there was intense German bombardment. They were under constant gunfire causing several casualties. At 8.25 pm the English artillery opened a heavy barrage on Hannebeke Wood, as the Germans tried to advance through the trenches of Sans Souci to a little further away, but they were stopped by fire from the artillery barrage. Indeed, the British position was protected from an effective counterattack by a stretch of deep mud in Hannebeek Valley. Five minutes later, 8.30 pm, another German barrage tried to break through the lines, but the Vickers Gun blocked the attack and moved towards the 1st German wave.
The 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment lost 84 casualties during this attack on 10 August 1917: 45 soldiers were wounded, eight were missing and 31 were killed. The latter included 21-year-old Thomas Henry Ackerley. His body was found near Douglas Villa. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (plot XXVIII, row A, grave 16).
Thomas died during the Battle of the Westhoek around the modern-day centre of Ypres. This battle was the second battle in the Battle of Passchendaele. The battle was actually scheduled for 2 August 1917, but was postponed to 10 August because of heavy rainfall, which turned the battlefield into swamps. During the battle, two British divisions advanced against the German defences on the Geluvelt Plateau, south-east of Ypres. The battle lasted only one day because of heavy losses, mainly due to incessant artillery fire.
The 74th Brigade attacked with four battalions, including the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment, at 4.35 am, after a 25-minute barrage. The attacking troops consisted of the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment, the 13th Battalion Chesire Regiment, the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles and the 9th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. The brigade set off from the line between Rabbit Villa and slightly beyond Westhoek. The brigade took the outpost line. From 8 am to 12 am, the battalion was hit by heavy German bombardment of the original front line. They lost many men to snipers and artillery fire. Until 2 pm, things were fairly quiet. But from 3.45 pm there was intense German bombardment. They were under constant gunfire causing several casualties. At 8.25 pm the English artillery opened a heavy barrage on Hannebeke Wood, as the Germans tried to advance through the trenches of Sans Souci to a little further away, but they were stopped by fire from the artillery barrage. Indeed, the British position was protected from an effective counterattack by a stretch of deep mud in Hannebeek Valley. Five minutes later, 8.30 pm, another German barrage tried to break through the lines, but the Vickers Gun blocked the attack and moved towards the 1st German wave.
The 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment lost 84 casualties during this attack on 10 August 1917: 45 soldiers were wounded, eight were missing and 31 were killed. The latter included 21-year-old Thomas Henry Ackerley. His body was found near Douglas Villa. He was reburied in Tyne Cot Cemetery (plot XXVIII, row A, grave 16).
Sources 7
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11 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 95/2246/2). 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://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 46-48. Sources used |
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Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 (Ancestry) https://www.ancestry.com/ Sources used |
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Soldiers Effects Records (National Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accesion Number: 1991-02-333). https://www.nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
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War Office and Air Ministry: Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ 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/461703 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=0def62d6-6c3f-4f5a-b2ee-6684026b73d0 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/629089 |