BORN – Oswestry
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / St Oswald’s Church / Holy Trinity Church,
JOB – Labourer / Stoker
UNIT – 1 Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
RANK – Private 266235
THEATRE – 100 Days / Arras. Eterpigny. 1 Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster)Regiment. 1 September 1918.
DIED – DoW 4 September 1918. Aged 22.
BURIED – Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille. (CWGC)
Thomas Vaughan Roberts was born at Oswestry in 1896. His parents were Thomas and Catherine Roberts, his father was a Railway Shunter, He was their fourth child, all told there were 14 children but only 11 survived into adulthood. The family lived at 29 Beatrice Street, Oswestry. His father died in August 1912 (Oswestry Cemetery Grave U 219) and it is probable the family moved to 18 Trinity Street around this time. After leaving school Thomas worked as errand boys for a newsagent, he would later work at Oswestry Gas Works as a labourer and stoker. In 1913 he joined the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry territorial force; he was aged 17 but gave his age as 18. He was mobilised in November 1914 and was posted at Prees Heath Camp.
Thomas went over to France in January 1916 and served with 7 Bn KSLI. In July 1916 he was awarded the Military Medal when the battalion was holding the canal bank at Mont Bernanchon north of Béthune. In June 1917 he returned to the UK suffering from appendicitis. After recovering he went back to France in September 1917. He was wounded in the left foot during March 1918 and spent time in hospital. He went back to France on 17 May 1918 and was posted to 1 Bn King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. On 1 September the battalion were relieving the 1 Bn Somerset Light Infantry in the line at Éterpigny, about 15km west of Arras, when they were bombarded by the enemy. There were many casualties some of whom were gassed. Thomas was hit by shrapnel in the face and foot. He was evacuated back to 83 General Hospital at Boulogne where he died three days later on 4 September. Thomas was buried in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille. He is also commemorated on war memorials at St Oswald’s Church and Holy Trinity Church, Oswestry.
In April 1920 Catherine Roberts, his mother, asked Walter Morris, the Town Clerk of Oswestry, if he could write to the War Office on her behalf. She wanted to find out what had become of her son’s Military Medal. He had told her, when he had been home on leave, that he had been awarded the Medal but had not yet received it. The Medal was forwarded to her by registered mail the next week.
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