NOTE: See Mason M THOMAS. Both names – Mason M THOMAS and T Mansell MASON – appear on the Gates. It is believed that the name – Mason M THOMAS – is a double entry incorrectly transcribed for T Mansell MASON.

Thomas Mansell Mason was born in 1889. His birthplace is variously given as Chirk, St Martin’s, West Hartlepool and Shrewsbury: the first is most likely to be correct. His mother was Martha nee Mansell; she would have 10 children of which 7 would survive into adulthood. Thomas was their second child. His father was William Mason he worked as a coal miner probably at Chirk, St Martin’s and at Ruabon where, in 1881, the family were living at 52 Chapel Street. By 1891 the family had moved to live in West Hartlepool, at 19 Ward Street. William too had changed jobs and was now an insurance agent. By 1901 they had moved again, back to Ruabon where William was a District Superintendent for Pearl Life Assurance. By 1911 he had retired and moved to live at 28 York Street, Oswestry.

Thomas, after school, was to become a pattern maker. By 1901 he had left home and was living as a boarder in Loughborough, and was working as a terracotta and plaster mould maker. In May 1914, at Loughborough, Thomas married Florence Agnes Falkner Sandbrook (b 1879 in Market Drayton) and they moved to live first at 1 Silverton Road, Coventry, when Thomas enlisted, and then to Halifax to live at 11 Bedford Street and then, by the end of the war, at 12 Hawthorn Street. He was still working as a pattern maker. They are not thought to have had any children. Thomas enlisted at No. 3 Recruitment Birmingham on 17 March 1915 and joined 9 Service Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers. They reported at Wrexham by the end of the month.

Thomas went over to France with the battalion on 19 July 1915 – just before he left he was disciplined for going AWOL for 2 days, reporting himself back at 9 AM on 16 July: it is tempting to believe he was taking some unofficial pre-departure leave, possibly to meet up with Florence. Regardless, he was confined to barracks for a week and fined 2 days pay. It does not seem to have been greatly held against him and at the end of July he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He had another disciplining in November 1915 when he lost his ID disc, he had to pay for a new one. Early in 1916 he was promoted to Corporal and during February spent time in hospital with influenza. He was listed as KIA 3 July 1916, reported missing on 2 July 1916. At this time the battalion were engaged in the capturing of La Boiselle on the second / third day of the Somme Offensive. In a letter received by his parents his company commander Captain H Lloyd Williams wrote – ‘I very much regret to have to inform you that your son,  Corporal Mason, has been missing since July 2, when the battalion played a prominent and successful part in the attack on – censored  (La Boiselle). Owing to the fierceness of the fighting, it is feared that he was killed, and buried by men of another regiment. We all lament his loss, and to me it means much for it deprives the company of an excellent NCO. He was at all times most obedient and attentive to his duty, and it was through such devotion to duty that he laid down his life for the fast winning cause of honour’. His body was lost and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He is also commemorated at Holy Trinity Church and at St Oswald’s Church, incorrectly as Mason M Thomas  – see note above.

Acknowledgements.

References and Sources

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