Year of birth: 1890

Place of birth: Box, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

Profession: Stonemason

Country: England, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Gunner

Service number: 135349

Enlistment date: 08/04/1916

Units:  —  Royal Field Artillery, "B" Bty. 58th Bde.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 02/08/1917

Place of death: Turco Farm, Boezinge, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 27

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Thomas Sheppard was a 27 year old stone mason from Box, Wiltshire, England joined the Royal Field Artillery on 8 April 1916. Prior to enlisting he married Gladys Annette Lilly in February 1915 and became a proud father to Joan, who was born in January 1916. As a gunner he trained at No 3 Depot, Hilsea, Cosham, Hampshire and was send to the Western Front as part of ‘B’ Battery, 58th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, 11th Division.
As the war diary of the 58th Brigade R.F.A. is missing from July to September 1917, it is impossible to determine where the guns were exactly positioned. According to his Burial Return Sheet an erected cross was found at Turco Farm (C.15.c.2.6.), but no remains were found. Today he is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper on panel 5EE.

Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Sources used

CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/916554/t-sheppard/ Sources used

The Long Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ Sources used