Lieut Tom Denton Eddison

• Age: 23
• From: Harrogate, Yorkshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Tom Denton Eddison was born in the September quarter of 1892 in Harrogate, Yorkshire the son of Joseph Cooper and Florence Eddison (nee Scholes). He was named after his maternal grandfather Thomas Denton Scholes. He was baptised in Christ Church, Harrogate on the 1st December 1892, where his father is recorded as a surveyor. The family home is Craven Lodge, Victoria Avenue, Harrogate.His parents were both born in Yorkshire, Joseph in Leeds, and Florence in Meltham, and married on the 2nd Sept 1886 at St Mary, Mirfield. Widowed Joseph was a 34 year old valuer of Headingley, father John a valuer, whilst Florence was aged 26 of West Fields, Mirfield, father Thomas a Gentleman. 

His father was granted a patent in 1874 for the invention of  "improvements in the means or apparatus employed for consuming smoke and economizing fuel". He was made a Lieutenant in the Volunteer Corps Militia, 2nd West Riding Artillery, in 1883, and was a widower when they married in 1886. Tom was the youngest of their three children; his two elder sisters, Florence Mary and Millicent, were both born in Leeds.

In the 1901 Census, his father, Joseph, aged 48, is recorded as a retired surveyor and valuer of machinery, his mother Florence is aged 39. The family live at a house called Ploverfield on The Drive, Ben-Rhydding, Ilkley, Yorkshire. Tom is aged 8 and has two older sisters Florence aged 13 and Millicent aged 12. Also living with the family are five servants. 

By the 1911 census the family had moved to Eastbourne where they lived at a house called Dorus More on Upper Carlisle Road. His father is 58 and his mother 51have been married for 24 years and have 3 children. Tom is recorded as an 18 year old student, Florence, 23, and Millicent, 22, have no occupation listed. The family have three servants. 

Tom was educated at Eastbourne College between 1907-1911. He then went to study at Merton College, Oxford where he received a 2nd Class Honours degree in Law in 1914. Whilst at the University he was a member of the OTC.

Tom originally enlisted in the Public Schools Battalion, Royal Fusiliers as Private 303. He received a Commission and became a 2nd Lieutenant in the 14th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. His commission as Temporary Second Lieutenant was published in the London Gazette on 14th November 1914. After his training at Seaford, he was sent to France, and was attached to the 19th Battalion as the 14th at this time was serving in Salonika.

He reported for duty on 18th February 1916 and was posted to No.2 Company, which was in the trenches near Bray sur Somme. He does not appear in the Battalion War Diary until the day of his death in action 30th July 1916.

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.     

His body was not found and identified after the war, and he is Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He was 23 years of age.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

Soldiers Effects also gives his rank as Lieutenant, but his Medal Index Card shows Second Lieutenant. Tom is listed in the Battalion War Diary as Second-Lieutenant but the publication ‘Officers Died in the Great War gives his rank as Lieutenant, as does the local press in Eastbourne, so it is possible that this was a mistake, or that his promotion had not been made official before he was killed.

A notice was published in the Eastbourne Chronicle dated 12th August 1916 that states:

LIEUT. EDDISON. Lieut. T. D. Eddison, who was killed in action on July 30th last, was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Eddison, of Dorus More, Eastbourne. He was educated at Charney Hall, Grange - Over - Sands, Eastbourne College and Merton College, Oxford. He took second class honours in law in 1914. At the outbreak of the war he enlisted in the Public Schools' Battalion, and was granted a commission in the 14th King's (Liverpool) Regiment in November, 1914. After training at Seaford, Aldershot and Prees Heath he went to the Front, attached to the 19th Battalion, in February last. Letters from the Front say that 'he was a brave lad, absolutely fearless, and that he was killed instantaneously, leading his platoon into action." 

His father served as Chairman for the Eastbourne Committee for the Promotion of National Service during the war.

Bexhill-on-Sea Observer - Saturday 19 August 1916 

EDDISON.—Killed in action on 30th July, 1916, Lieut. T. D. Eddison, King’s (Liverpool) Regt., only son of J. C. and Mrs Eddiison, Dorus More, Eastbourne, formerly of Ploverfield, Ben-Rhydding, Yorks, aged 23. 

He is also remembered on the grave of his parents at Ocklynge Cemetery, Eastbourne. Joseph died on the 26th of November 1919, at the age of 77 leaving £20,000, and Florence who died on the 4th of February 1958 at the age of 98. 

 
Tom is also remembered on the following Memorials:

Eastbourne War Memorial

Eastbourne Town Hall War Memorial

Eastbourne College

St John the Evangelist Church, Eastbourne

Merton College War Memorial

Eastbourne College and Chapel

Ilkley WW1 Cenotaph.

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