Tom Hutchinson
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Tom was the son of Henry and Mary Elizabeth Hutchinson (née Sharpe). His father was born in Sneinton and his mother in Bradmore, Nottinghamshire, both in about 1866. They were married in 1893 and had five children who were all born in Sneinton: Harry b. abt. 1893, Tom birth registered 1896 (J/F/M), Nellie b. abt. 1897, Dorothy (Dolly) b. 1899 and Kate b. abt. 1901. Harry, a carter for a brewery, Mary and their children Harry, Tom, Nellie and Dorothy were living at 47 Oldham Street, Nottingham, in 1901. By 1911, the family had moved to 524 Mansfield Road, Carrington. Harry was a brewer and waiter while his two sons, Harry and Tom, were in the printing trade. Only Dorothy and Kate were still living with their parents at 524 Mansfield Road when the 1921 Census was compiled, and it was still their parents' home when their mother Mary died in September 1929.
9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) The 9th (Service) Battalion was raised at Derby in August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army. It served at Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915, but was evacuated from Gallipoli in the December. The Battalion moved from Imbros to Egypt at the end of January 1916. In June the same year the Battalion was ordered to France, landing at Marseilles on 10 July and was in the frontline by the end of the month. Tom Hutchinson served in France from 9 February 1915, the year before the 9th Battalion transferred to the Western Front. No record has yet been traced of his original service unit nor of when he transferred to the 9th Battalion. The 9th Battalion, which arrived in France in July 1916, had moved to the Somme by the start of September. Tom was wounded shortly afterwards and was evacuated from the front line via the medical chain to Etaples. He succumbed to his wounds on 26 September 1916 and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery (grave ref. X1.A.1). CWGC - History of Etaples Military Cemetery (extract). The town of Etaples is about 27km from Boulogne. 'During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick. In September 1919, ten months after the Armistice, three hospitals and the Q.M.A.A.C. convalescent depot remained.' (www.cwgc.org)
Registers of Soldiers' Effects: his mother Mary E Hutchinson was his legatee. WW1 Pension Ledgers index cards: named his parents Henry and Mary E Hutchinson of Sherwood, Nottingham. Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour,’ 29 September 1916: ‘Hutchinson. Died of wounds, September 26th, Private T Hutchinson, Sherwood Foresters. His heart was true, his spirit brave, his resting place a soldier’s grave. From sorrowing mother, father, brother, and sisters.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths,’ 6 September 1929: ‘Hutchinson. On September 4th, Mary Elizabeth Hutchinson, of 524 Mansfield-road, Sherwood, passed peacefully away, after much suffering patiently borne. From sorrowing family.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
