Cpl
Thomas Roebuck
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1890 |
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Place of birth: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Carter |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Corporal |
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Service number: 18790 |
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Enlistment place: Manchester, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Mühle, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 27 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 18 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal — 04/09/1919 |
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British War Medal Medal — 17/04/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 17/04/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Thomas Roebuck was born in the spring of 1890 in Salford, Lancashire. He was the son of Joseph and Emma Roebuck and according to the 1911 census he was a general carter before enlisting. A couple of months later he married his sweetheart, Martha Burgess at St. Stephen in Salford. By September 1917 Thomas served as a corporal in the 8th King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), part of the 76th Brigade, of the 3rd Division.
On 26 September 1917 the 3rd Division supported the northern flank of the Australian attack on Polygon Wood. The 76th Brigade attacked right of the Ypres-Roulers railway, advancing to the ruined village of Zonnebeke. The 8th King’s Own and the 1st Gordon Highlanders were to capture and consolidate the first objective. At zero hour 5.50 a.m. the 8th King’s Own advanced towards Mühle and Tokio, while the Gordon Highlanders went towards the St. Joseph institute. The men were briefly held up as they sought a crossing point over the Hanebeek stream, but overall they encountered little resistance. By 7.10 a.m. it was reported that the first objective had been consolidated.
Now, the 10th Royal Welsh Fusiliers, together with the 2nd Suffolks, moved through and continued to the final objective. But their attack soon lost momentum and heavy machinegun fire coming from the Zonnebeke station forced them to consolidate positions at the western outskirts of the village, just short of their objectives. Although the German line was thinly held and most objectives had been taken, the real danger came from counter-attacks and artillery fire. During the afternoon the positions of the King’s Own and Gordons were heavily shelled with shrapnel, high explosive and gas shells. The shelling continued without a break for the next forty-eight hours, causing heavy casualties. As a result the 3rd Division had the highest casualties of all the units deployed on 26 September. Thirty-four officers were killed, 100 were wounded and 3 went missing; 463 men were dead, 2.573 wounded and 859 were missing. Casualties for the 8th battalion were in the hundreds.
Corporal Thomas Roebuck was killed in action on the 26 September 1917. The 27-year old possibly fell while holding the line at Mühle Ridge, which was frequently shelled during the 26th. His remains were not identified and he is remembered on panel 18 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 26 September 1917 the 3rd Division supported the northern flank of the Australian attack on Polygon Wood. The 76th Brigade attacked right of the Ypres-Roulers railway, advancing to the ruined village of Zonnebeke. The 8th King’s Own and the 1st Gordon Highlanders were to capture and consolidate the first objective. At zero hour 5.50 a.m. the 8th King’s Own advanced towards Mühle and Tokio, while the Gordon Highlanders went towards the St. Joseph institute. The men were briefly held up as they sought a crossing point over the Hanebeek stream, but overall they encountered little resistance. By 7.10 a.m. it was reported that the first objective had been consolidated.
Now, the 10th Royal Welsh Fusiliers, together with the 2nd Suffolks, moved through and continued to the final objective. But their attack soon lost momentum and heavy machinegun fire coming from the Zonnebeke station forced them to consolidate positions at the western outskirts of the village, just short of their objectives. Although the German line was thinly held and most objectives had been taken, the real danger came from counter-attacks and artillery fire. During the afternoon the positions of the King’s Own and Gordons were heavily shelled with shrapnel, high explosive and gas shells. The shelling continued without a break for the next forty-eight hours, causing heavy casualties. As a result the 3rd Division had the highest casualties of all the units deployed on 26 September. Thirty-four officers were killed, 100 were wounded and 3 went missing; 463 men were dead, 2.573 wounded and 859 were missing. Casualties for the 8th battalion were in the hundreds.
Corporal Thomas Roebuck was killed in action on the 26 September 1917. The 27-year old possibly fell while holding the line at Mühle Ridge, which was frequently shelled during the 26th. His remains were not identified and he is remembered on panel 18 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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8 Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1436/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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Hutton J., Kitchener's Men. The King's Own Royal Lancasters on the Western Front 1915-1918, (Barnsley, Pen & Sword, 2008), pg. 181-182. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 96-97. 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/828076 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=aab428df-f7ef-434c-a6a1-2bec22fec9d6 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3803913 |