1896-1917

The Farmer

Duty Called and He Obeyed¹

Born on 29^th April 1896¹⁸ in his parent’s home, The Hollies, English Frankton^17/19, Thomas Edward Townsend was the second and youngest son (out of twelve children) born to Mary and her husband Alfred^4/5, a Farmer and employer⁵ with strong family links to Cockshutt.  His own Father had been both Farmer and Publican of the Red Lion Inn, Cockshutt²; named Thomas Townsend, it seems that they chose to name their new son after him^2/18.

As the new parents introduced their youngest son to their burgeoning family⁵, they surely gave little thought to anything but the propitious and promising future awaiting him, as he learnt how to manage the family farm alongside his older brother Alfred⁵.

As the late Victorian era³³ languidly moved towards its end, young Thomas began taking his first tentative steps into childhood.  With so many siblings, it is unlikely that he was ever short of a play-mate⁵ or opportunities for play; between them they probably concocted many adventures as they chased through open fields, climbed trees in the woody glades and hid inside the cosy barns.  Perhaps they even listened out for and followed the passing Hunt¹³.  All-in-all, it was a time when little seems to have disturbed the “noiseless tenor of our way”¹³, other than the raucous and good-humoured “Pro Boer” meeting held in the school in 1901¹³.

With the dawn of the Edwardian era²⁴, Thomas was attending the local School; as he joined his siblings on the daily walk, they probably took great delight in finding all the, “short cuts, gates, and weak fences”¹³, to help liven up the journey.

By the time he was fourteen, with school behind him, Thomas appears to have fulfilled his Father’s expectation by working full-time on the farm alongside his older brother Alfred⁵; his untimely death within the next few months²¹ would have deeply affected everyone.  Yet Thomas understood the importance of duty; he was the remaining son and regardless of his own grief, he found the fortitude to keep the farm going, whilst supporting his parents and family during this difficult time⁴².

Within three years, change was again on the horizon as Europe descended into a bottomless crevasse of a violent, bloodthirsty war⁴⁴; with no end in sight and the increasing demand for new recruits, Thomas went to Oswestry³⁹ and enlisted with the KSLI 6^th (PALS) Battalion¹¹.

In 1916, Private TE Townsend 33625¹⁶ was deployed to France.  It was a time of intense hostilities, including the Somme Offensive and The Battles of Langemarke and the Menin Road (Ypres)²⁵.  Yet, in letters home, Thomas reflects on the daily difficulties of life, such as, “the sweat … dropping off me like peas”, during the intensity of the Summer heat, whilst during Winter the only means of washing was by “breaking ice in a shell hole¹⁷”.

In November 1917, the Battalion was in action at Cambrai, the objective being to break through the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line²⁵.  For the first time, massed tanks and new artillery techniques would be used⁵⁰.  In the early hours of 20^th November, hostilities commenced when, “the Battalion attacked the German positions⁴⁶”.  Seriously wounded²³ in the fray, Private TE Townsend was admitted into the Lord Derby Hospital, Warrington¹⁷, where he died from wounds on 4^th December 1917^16/17.

Posthumously awarded The British War Medal and Victory Medal¹¹, Thomas’s final resting place is in The Churchyard, Ss Simon & Jude Church, Cockshutt⁴⁰, where, on 8^th December 1918¹⁷, he was reunited with his brother Alfred⁴².  In poignant tribute, his headstone inscription reads, “Duty Called, and He Obeyed¹.”

We Will Remember Him.

 

 

 

TOWNSEND_T_E

 

Pte TE Townsend 33625, 6^th (PALS) Battalion, KSLI³⁶

Died Warrington Military Hospital 4th December 1917 from wounds received at Cambrai, The Somme

Buried Ss Simon & Jude Churchyard, Cockshutt

 

 

Perhaps the summer woods will shimmer bright,
And Crimson roses once again be fair,
And Autumn Harvest fields a rich delight,
Although you are not there²⁹.