Private Thomas Wake

Private Thomas Henry Wake, “C” Coy, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in Belgium at St. Julien on 26th April 1915, aged 25 during the Second Battle of Ypres. He was the son of Richard and Mary Wake of The Gatehouse, Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. His brother Wilfred fell at the same time.. ( For fuller details see above ). It was reported that a ” Jack Johnson” shell fell on ” C” Coy. and killed both Thomas and his brother Wilfred whilst they were digging trenches. Before the War he had been employed as a painter with R. McKenzie of Seahouses and was a keen cricketer and footballer. The photograph shows the impressive Memorial raised to commemorate the fallen of the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918 when it was transferred to the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division as a Pioneer Battalion. It was erected near the village of Wieltje where on the 26th April the Division had fought its first action of the War at St. Julien only days after landing on the Continent..