Rfn
Thomas Knight
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 01/04/1879 |
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Place of birth: Curdworth, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Miner |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: 39650 |
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Enlistment place: Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), 1/7th Bn. (Leeds Rifles) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Casualty Clearing Station, Nine Elms, Poperinge, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 38 |
Cemetery
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Nine Elms British Cemetery Plot: V Row: B Grave: 1 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Rifleman Thomas Knight - a miner from Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire - served in the West Yorkshire Regiment, 1/7th Battalion (Leeds Rifles), part of the 146th Brigade of the 49th Division. He died of wounds on 12 October 1917.
On the 9th of October, Thomas’ Battalion participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle. In the early hours of the 9th, the Leeds Rifles took up positions northeast of Calgary Grange facing Yetta Houses. At 5:20 a.m. the attack began and the barrage opened. The ground was very wet and soft, and the troops had difficulties keeping up with the barrage. They were, however, able to catch up with the barrage east of the ruined buildings at Peter Pan and Yetta Houses.
German machine-guns were very active throughout the attack. And the men were easy targets, struggling uphill. Many casualties were caused by machine-gun fire coming from pillboxes on the Bellevue spur and from snipers and machine-guns in Wolf Copse and Wolf Farm. Nonetheless the 1/7th was able to capture Yetta Houses and a pillbox at Peter Pan.
During the morning German reinforcements could be seen arriving from Passchendaele and it became obvious that an attack towards the spur was out of the question. The positions were consolidated.
Casualties during the attack were heavy. 56 soldiers were killed, 106 went missing and 125 were wounded. The wounded, amongst whom Thomas, were gathered around the command post at Calgary Grange. This was a small pillbox capable of sheltering about ten men, but by mid-afternoon there were over 90 wounded laid out around the post. Due to the large number of casualties, the rain and the mud, arrangements for the evacuation were postponed. The men were left in the open and were exposed to artillery fire.
Rifleman Thomas Knight died of his wounds on 12 October 1917. He was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station at Nine Elms, Poperinge, where he succumbed to his wounds. Thomas was buried in the adjacent Nine Elms Cemetery.
On the 9th of October, Thomas’ Battalion participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle. In the early hours of the 9th, the Leeds Rifles took up positions northeast of Calgary Grange facing Yetta Houses. At 5:20 a.m. the attack began and the barrage opened. The ground was very wet and soft, and the troops had difficulties keeping up with the barrage. They were, however, able to catch up with the barrage east of the ruined buildings at Peter Pan and Yetta Houses.
German machine-guns were very active throughout the attack. And the men were easy targets, struggling uphill. Many casualties were caused by machine-gun fire coming from pillboxes on the Bellevue spur and from snipers and machine-guns in Wolf Copse and Wolf Farm. Nonetheless the 1/7th was able to capture Yetta Houses and a pillbox at Peter Pan.
During the morning German reinforcements could be seen arriving from Passchendaele and it became obvious that an attack towards the spur was out of the question. The positions were consolidated.
Casualties during the attack were heavy. 56 soldiers were killed, 106 went missing and 125 were wounded. The wounded, amongst whom Thomas, were gathered around the command post at Calgary Grange. This was a small pillbox capable of sheltering about ten men, but by mid-afternoon there were over 90 wounded laid out around the post. Due to the large number of casualties, the rain and the mud, arrangements for the evacuation were postponed. The men were left in the open and were exposed to artillery fire.
Rifleman Thomas Knight died of his wounds on 12 October 1917. He was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station at Nine Elms, Poperinge, where he succumbed to his wounds. Thomas was buried in the adjacent Nine Elms Cemetery.
Sources 6
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/136975/knight,-thomas/ Sources used |
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Kirk, A., "Leeds Rifles. The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) 7th & 8th Territorial Battalions 1914-1918", Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military, 2017, pg.140-153. Sources used |
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McCarthy, C., "Passchendaele: The Day-by-Day Account", London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018, pg.122-123. Sources used |
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The long long trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diaries https://www.archive.org Further reference |