Thomas Preston

Thomas Preston, 2396 Private, 1st/4th Bn., King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regt.) D-o-W, 8th June 1915. Age 23.

Thomas Preston was born at Newton-in-Cartmel, now usually called High Newton. He was the son of William and Margaret Preston of Browside, according to the 1912 "Bulmer's Guide" William was employed as a roadman.

Thomas joined the local Territorial Battalion of the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment at Ulverston, soon after the outbreak of war. The Territorial Force was intended to provide a home army while Line Battalions fought overseas, but the vast numbers needed to man the front lines meant that the Territorial Battalions were asked to volunteer for service abroad, this the 1/4th King's Own did. Other units of 154th Brigade began to leave for France in February 1915, but the constant recall of skilled men to work at Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness prevented the battalion reaching full strength, and its departure was delayed.

The situation on the Western Front deteriorated (2nd Ypres began on 22nd April) and the, still under strength, 1/4 Battalion King's Own left Folkestone for Boulogne on May 3rd., crossing the Channel in rain and darkness. The troops spent their first few weeks in France moving from place to place, joining the Brigade at Ham-en-Artois, then on to Calonne-sur-Lys as reserves for the Fromelles battle on May 6th, where they encountered Indian troops of the Meerut Division. They also experienced their first sight and sound of an artillery bombardment, as the Front was well within earshot. The Battalion then moved to Meteren, in preparation for a deployment to Ypres, which did not materialise.

Further movements took place, one NCO and two men from the Lincolnshire Regiment, with experience at the Front, were attached to each company as instructors, prior to the Battalion's introduction to the trenches at Richebourg L'Avoue. The night of 24/25th May, 1915 saw the 1/4th enter the front line in a section of trenches near Ferme-du-Bois. This was a most unpleasant experience, the trenches had only recently been captured from the Germans and provided minimal protection. The bodies of those killed in the recent fighting still lay on the battlefield and had to be identified and buried. The trenches had to be reconstructed and communication and reserve trenches dug. All this had to be undertaken while under threat of counterattack, with nowhere except muddy trench bottoms to sleep. The nights were intensely cold and the days very hot, which increased the stench from the dead bodies. These conditions were worsened by long range fire from the enemy, to which the troops were unable to respond. This "tour" lasted until the night of May 28/29th when the Battalion went to "rest" at the Redoubt, near Le Touret, where it immediately came under shell fire and took some casualties. This led them to move to Le Touret village the following morning and then further back, to Riez-du-Vinage, until returning to the Front again on 5/6th June.

This first tour of trench duty or the shelling at the Redoubt must have caused the fatal wounding of poor Thomas Preston, 1/4th Battalion's record-keeping was very erratic at this early stage and does not tell us any more.

Thomas was taken back to the base hospital at Boulogne where he died of his wounds on 6th or 8th of June -"Soldiers Died" gives his date of death as 6th June and the CWGC records it as the 8th. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, plot VIII, row A, grave 73. The verse on his headstone reads, "Jesus in thy gracious keeping, leave we here thy servant sleeping."