Thomas Duckmanton
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Thomas Duckmanton was born in Sneinton, Nottingham in 1888. He was living with his parents, Jonathan N and Elizabeth Duckmanton and elder siblings, Walter and Kate, in 1891 when he was age just three. Tragically for him, his mother died age 38, later that year. It must have been an even great blow for him when his father also died in Nottingham in 1897 age 49. Thomas would have been nine. Four years later in 1901, Thomas is recorded as a pauper, resident at the Nottingham Training Institution for Pauper Children. How long he lived there is not to hand but by 1911 he had joined the 1st Bn Sherwood Foresters living in barracks. The 1st battalion were based in India in 1911 - and he was listed as Thomas Duckmanton, private, 21, single, born Sneinton Nottingham.
Thomas Duckmanton enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters in December 1904. He served with the 1st battalion in India and probably transferred to Army reserve in 1912. On the outbreak of war the 1st battalion was based in India and did not arrive in England until October 1914. Thomas was mobilized on 5 August and sent to 2nd battalion. He went with them to France (landed St. Nazaire) and his medal index card gives a date of 8 September 1914. The battalion suffered heavy casualties on 20 September during 'Actions on the Aisne Heights' and on 20th October at Ennetieres were virtually wiped out. On the night of the 19th, men attempted to improve their trenches and communications, in preparation for the German attack, which they knew would come the next day. The men had not slept properly for 2 days as the enemy onslaught fell upon the. War Diary - 'At daybreak on 20th, the enemy commenced a heavy shell fire on the village, the house occupied by Battalion Headquarters being destroyed. At 7.10 AM, it was reported that a considerable numbers of the enemy were moving round our right flank towards Escooeques. At 10 am 'B' company was sent to reinforce the trenches on the right. At 11.30 am, One company of Durham Light Infantry arrived to reinforce the battalion. About 1 pm, a vigorous attack was made on our front trenches, but it was driven off with considerable loss. About 3 pm, enemy commenced his advance against our right flank supported by artillery from North East and South. All remaining reserves, 3 Platoons of Durham Light Infantry and about 50 other men pushed to aid the 5 platoons who were holding that flank. The enemy's advance was however very rapid and we were vastly outnumbered. The few remaining men were collected and fell back, some covered the retirement of a battery of our guns and others assisted to man handle the guns onto the road. For some time the remnants of the battalion held on to some high ground overlooking the sandpits west of Ennetteres (sic), but at 7 pm, fell back to the road running through T of Fetus. Here we joined up with the Durham Light Infantry and West Yorkshire Regiments, and remained in position until ordered to fall back to Bois Grenier. Casualties wounded 2/Lts J D A Whicher, E E S Taylor, Lied (?) and Koyeten and 710 NCO's and men missing...." The German strength was one Division and one Brigade sent against a single British battalion of some 900 men. Thomas is likely to have been wounded and taken prisoner and buried in the La Miterie German Cemetery, Lomme, France. After the armistice remains of men from a number of cemeteries were concentrated in larger ones. New Irish Farm near Ypres (Ieper) was chosen for La Miterie, despite being some 26 kilometres away. Thomas along with two other Sherwood Foresters (also 6 soldiers from 1918) are commemorated with a special memorial cross in New Irish Farm: "To the memory of these nine British Soldiers who died 1914 and 1918 as prisoners of war and were buried at the time in La Miterie German Cemetery, Lomme, but whose graves are now lost; Their Glory Shall not be Blotted Out." John Morse
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