Thomas Winter
Memorial: Olveston
Regiment: Worcestershire Regiment
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 17765
Parents: Thomas William and Harriet Winter
Home address: Pilning Street, Pilning, Bristol
Date of birth: 1893
Place of birth: Bristol
Date of death: 06/08/1915
Buried/Commemorated at: Helles Memorial (Panel 104 to 113.), Turkey
Age: 22
Further information:
Thomas and his elder sister Edith were brought up in a cottage on Severn Road in Pilning, which in 1901 was part of Henbury parish. Their father Thomas William Winter was a farm labourer who had married Harriet, who came from Nibley. The family lived next door to Mr Willis, a farmer and a salmon fisherman, and no doubt young Thomas would have been curious about the putchers and the frames down on the banks of the Severn. By 1915 the family had moved to Pilning Street, Pilning, Bristol
At the age of 21 Thomas enlisted in Dudley, Worcester and was assigned to the 4th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment, where he found that he was with Harry Skuse. On completion of training the Battalion embarked for Gallipoli on April 25th 1915 and formed part of the 29th Division. Although the British forces under the command of Sir Ian Hamilton had been strongly reinforced there was doubt whether our slight numerical superiority would be sufficient to ensure success. Consequently a plan was developed to involve a number of diversionary attacks to deflect Turkish forces from the main Allied thrust at Anzac Cove. The 4th Battalion was allocated to attack Krithia and landed at Gully Beach on July 28th 1915 where they were held in reserve. At 4.00am on the morning of August 6th the attacking troops, including the 4th Worcesters, now comprising nearly 800 men under the command of Major Seton, left the beach to take up positions in the front line trenches. Midday passed amid heat and buzzing flies. At 2.20pm the British artillery opened up and instantly the Turkish guns replied. At 3.15pm the British machine gunners joined in and for half-an-hour the barrage raged. Then the officers’ whistles sounded and the Battalion went forward from their trenches in four waves. As the successive waves came in full view of the enemy they were struck from both flanks by a hail of machine gun bullets. The enemy trenches were charged and hand to hand fighting ensued. After three hours of fighting, the only survivors of the 16 platoons comprising the Battalion were eleven men under the command of Sergeant Stevens, who fought on until their ammunition was exhausted and were then able to withdraw from the Turkish trenches under cover of darkness. The Battalion lost 16 officers and 752 men
Thomas Winter, aged 22 was Killed in Action and his name is recorded on the Helles Memorial in Gallipoli together with those of Harry Skuse and Percy Mundy
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Forces War Records and CWGC