No.5825242, Private, Thomas William HICKFORD
Aged 31
medals not known
7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Died of Illness on Saturday, 31st August 1940
|
Thomas William HICKFORD was born in Haverhill on 16th July 1912 (Risbridge Q3-1912 4A:1732) son of Thomas William and Rose HICKFORD (née BARTRAM). From his father's Army records (Labour Corps), he had brother Frank [19-5-1902] born Clare]; sisters Eliza [12-1-1905], Phyllis [7-6-1910] and Rose May [15-12-1913], all born in Haverhill. He married Alice May HEARN [19-11-1911] in 1940 (Newmarket Q3 4A:3963), later of Broadstairs, Kent. She later married Albert E BRAY in 1963. In the 1939 register brother Frank (plasterer) and his wife Elsie were at 10 Croft Row, Haverhill.(One closed record). The rest of the family have not been identified in the 1939 register except Alice. She was at home at 8a Horseheath Road, Clare with her parents Joseph and Jane and brother Walter |
|
The 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. This was a war-formed unit raised in June 1940, shortly after Dunkirk, and, on 10th October, was assigned to the 210th
Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) alongside other hostilities-only battalions. With the brigade, the battalion alternated between home defence dutiesand training to repel an expected invasion of the United Kingdom. Initial training took
place in Warwickshire and due to shortages, they had to borrow old WW1 rifles from Birmingham University O.T.C. Serving with his regiment, Thomas was working as a horse keeper near Royal Leamington Spa, and died on Saturday 31st August 1940 aged 28 years after developing tubercular meningitis. His death was registered in Yardley, Birmingham by his widow on 5th September. |
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details