Thomas Lynes

Thomas was the eldest son of Ephraim Lynes and his wife Ann (née Brown). Ephraim Lynes was born in Willoughby on the Wolds in about 1841 and his wife Ann Brown in Upper Broughton (Broughton Sulney) in about 1846. They were married at Upper Broughton St Luke in October 1881 and had two sons, Thomas b. Upper Broughton 1883 bap. St Luke 13 May 1883, and Joseph Adrian b. Langar Nottinghamshire 1885 bap. Langar St Andrew April 1885. Ephraim, a farmer, his wife and their two sons were living in Langar when their youngest son was baptised in 1885. However, by 1891 they had moved to North Gate, Basford, where Ephraim worked as a groom. The family was still at the same address in 1901; Ephraim was now employed as a coachman and gardener (domestic), Thomas as a lace warehouseman and Joseph as a harness maker. Ephraim and Ann had moved to Sherbrooke Road, Daybrook, Arnold, Nottingham, by 1911. Also in the household was their son Joseph, a saddler, and a boarder, a clerk with a railway company. Thomas married Harriett Newton (b. 1879, Dale Abbey, Derbyshire) at Dale Abbey All Saints in 1907 and their daughter Barbara was born in New Basford, Nottingham, in 1911; she was baptised at All Saints in June 1911. Thomas, a warehouse foreman (lace finishing), Harriett and Barbara (under one month) were living at 31 Rosetta Road, Nottingham, in 1911. However, by the time of Thomas's death in September 1917 they were living at 64 Highbury Avenue, Bulwell, Nottingham. Harriett never remarried and died on 18 March 1936; she was buried in Redhill Cemetery, Arnold. Thomas's mother, Ann died in March 1927; she and her husband were then living on Sherbrooke Terrace, Sherbrooke Road, Daybrook. Ephraim died in Barnsley, Yorkshire, in March 1931. Both were buried in Redhill Cemetery, Arnold. Their surviving son, Joseph, and his wife Ellen (née Richmond, m. 1913) were living in Barnsley in 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, so Ephraim had probably gone to live with them after his wife's death.

1901 - lace warehouseman. 1911 - lacewarehouseman foreman (lace finishing)

Resident Bulwell. Enlisted Derby.

11th (Service) Battalion Sherwood Foresters. The Battalion was formed at Derby in September 1914 as part of Kitchener’s Third Army and came under orders of 70th Brigade, 23rd Division. It landed at Boulogne to join the BEF France on 27 August 1915. However, in November 1917, two months after Thomas’ death, the Battalion moved with the Division to Italy, but returned to France in September 1918. Thomas enlisted in Derby. His battalion was in reserve for an attack on Polygon Wood and the Menin Road during the Third Battle of Ypres. On the night of the 23rd/24th September 1917 they endured the heaviest shelling that they had ever experienced. They moved forward on the 24th and the shelling was continuous. The only protection available was captured enemy gun pits and concrete dug outs and Thomas was one of the frequent casualties during this period. Thomas was killed in action on 24 September 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium Panel (99 to 102 and 162 to 162A).

CWGC Additional information: ‘Son of Ephraim and Ann Lynes, of Sherbrook Rd., Daybrook; husband of Harriet Lynes, of 64, Highbury Avenue, Bulwell, Notts.' Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour,’ 2 October 1917: ‘Lynes. Killed in action, September 24th, Private Thomas Lynes, Sherwood Foresters, Silently mourned. Sorrowing wife and child.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour,’ 2 October 1917: ‘Lynes. Killed in action, Private Thomas Lynes, Sherwood Foresters Sincere sympathy. Mr and Mrs Widdowson, Basford.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Roll of Honour’, 3 October 1917: ‘Lynes. Killed in action, Private Thomas Lynes, Sherwood Foresters. Heartfelt sympathy from Mrs Naylor, Highbury-avenue.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Registers of Soldiers' Effects: his widow Harriett was his sole legatee. Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths,’ 19 March 1936: ‘Lynes. Suddenly on March 18th, Harriet, beloved wife of the late Thomas Lynes, and dearly-loved mother of Barbara [Poynton m. 1934] and Fred [Poynton].’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)