Soldier Record

About five years ago I was continually drawn towards footage of the First World War on the television round-a-bout Armistice Day. I kept seeing this soldier, in the trenches comming towards the camera, carrying a wounded comrade over his shoulder. I watched this many times before the penny dropped. I rushed to the family photograph collection to find what I was looking for, and sure enough, I was correct. The soldier is my uncle Private John Thompson of The Royal Irish Fusiliers. I have some photographs of him, and when I compared them,and the footage from the television, sure enough it was the same person.I also have newspaper cuttings from the time of his death with a copy of the letter from his C.O. informing his father of his death. Also copies of last letter sent home describing life in the trenches and asking for food to be sent to him.

More recently I have discovered the book ,W.W.I. by Charles Messenger has a still of the photograph depicting my uncle in the trenches , as the front cover of his book. He was killed on 26.06.1915 at Ypres, and was survived by his wife Lizzie and son Ross.I presume Lizzie remarried as my own grandmother brought the boy up, but I have no way of confirming this , and do not know what became of him.

When all of this came to light I got the Family gravestone cleaned up, which was the very least I could do. Now his name alongside that of his parents is once again legible, a fitting tribute to a loving son, one of many who never came home.