Thomas Edward Sheppard
Memorial: Kingswood - Holy Trinity Church
Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment
Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 20145
Parents: Edwin and Elizabeth Sheppard
Home address: 122 Hopewell Hill, Kingswood, Bristol
Date of birth: 1891
Place of birth: Blackwood, Monmouthshire
Date of death: 14/04/1918
Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Aval Wood Military Cemetery, Vieux-Berquin, Nord, France and commemorated on Kingswood Holy Trinity Memorial
Age: 27
Further information:
Thomas was born in Blackwood, Monmouthshire, the son of a gardener and a middle child of nine children with two older brothers and six sisters. One of his older brothers Edwin also died in the war, two years before Thomas.
Thomas enlisted in 1914 and the 12th Glosters mobilised to France in November 1915. They fought in the Battles of the Lys (7th to the 29th April) which included the Battle of Hazebrouck, during which they faced overwhelming odds. Thomas was killed in action in the Battle of Hazebrouck. The Battles of the Lys lasted for 23 days and resulted in an allied victory but at a cost of 119,000 allied casualties.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/