Thomas's Story.
Born in 1882 at Congleton, son of Samuel and Mary, (nee,Hancock), Mountford, living at 10, Bromley Street, Congleton. Thomas was the eldest son in a family of nine children. His siblings were Jane, Lillian, Joseph, Amy may, Harry, George, Nellie and Elsie. Before signing on to be a regular soldier, Thomas worked as a fustian cutter.
He enlisted into the Cheshire Regiment, 10/12/1903, at the age of 22 years. He was five feet seven inches tall weighed 142lbs and has a 36 inch chest measurement, his eyes were grey and his hair was brown, religion, Church of England. He spent some time in India with the Regiment. On the 11 November 1907, he married Mary Jane Phillips at the Congleton Registry Office; she was living at 67, Congleton Road, Biddulph in 1911. At the outbreak of war the Battalion deployed from Londonderry to France in August, 1914, as part of the British Expeditionary Force. It was decimated by German attacks in the retreat from MONS, and the Regimental War History records that by the end of October “the Battalion practically ceased to exist”. Thomas was killed in action, Monday, 24/08/1914, he was aged 32 years.
The Cheshire Roll of Honour would like to thank H.A.G Carlisle for this information on Thomas.