WEST MIDLANDS POLICE GREAT WAR MEMORIAL SITE
THOMAS VICTOR SMITH
Thomas
Smith was born circa 1890 in Woodstone, Peterborough. His parents were
John Thomas Smith and Maria Northfield, his father was a railway
timekeeper and he had older sisters, Lydia (1882), Annie Maria (1885), Jessie
Ellen (1888) and a younger brother,
Ernest Albert (1894). In 1901 the
family was living at 62 Percival Street, Peterborough but by 1911 he was
lodging at 13 Torkington Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire (one stop along the line
from Peterborough), working as a railway porter. Thomas joined Birmingham
City Police on 2nd January 1912, at the age of 21. He served on the ‘A’ Division
with warrant number 8171 but resigned on 13th May 1917 to enlist in the Army.
He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery. Presumably, after training but
before he went to France, Thomas married Mary Ann Smith nee McGinley, on 6th
August 1917, in Birmingham.
Thomas went to France with 528th Seige Battery, RGA and served through 1918
until he was taken ill with pneumonia and died at the General Hospital in
Boulogne on the 3rd November 1918. He is buried at Terlincthun British
Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.
EDWIN STATTER
Edwin
was born c. 1881 to James and Emma (nee Butler) and in 1891 they resided in St
Werburgh, Derbyshire. Edwin had one brother William, born 1880 and a
sister Kate arrived in 1888. In 1905 Edwin joined Birmingham City Police and was
issued with warrant number 9073. He served on the ‘A’ Division. Prior to joining
he resided at Spring Cottage, Overseal, Ashby and was a colliery shunter at
Moira Colliery Ashby de la Zouch. In May 1915, Edwin resigned to join HM Forces
Royal Garrison Artillery. By September 1915 Edwin had been promoted to
Sergeant and on 20th March 1916 Edwin was posted overseas. On November
20th 1916, whilst in action with his battery at Pozois, Edwin sustained burns
from an enemy shell explosion. He was in hospital in France until 29th January
1917 when he was invalided back to England and remained in hospitals and Command
Depot until June 1st 1917 when he was discharged.
Edwin married Jessie Edwards in July 1917 and they had a daughter Edwina who was
born 22 September 1921. In April 1918 Edwin rejoined Birmingham City
Police and served with them until 1934. In 1942 he began working for
Wrights Ropes Ltd of Birmingham, on an Admiralty contract, but died in October
1946.
EDGAR STOKES
Edgar
STOKES
Edgar enlisted in the East Yorkshire Regiment in July 1904 and also served with
the Northamptonshire Regiment, serving in India in 1907. In 1914 Edgar had
left the army, joining Birmingham City Police in 1911, but was on Special
Reserve and thus was recalled at the outbreak of war, travelling over the France
in October with the 1st Northants.
He was in Ypres on 25th October, before moving to positions in Chateau Wood and
Polygon Wood over the following few days. On 30th October they dug
defensive positions at Bodmin Copse, near Gheluvelt, and the following day the
Germans bombarded the area and attacked, taking Gheluvelt to defend against a
sustained German attack. As they started to fall back towards Shrewsbury
Forest they came under severe enfilade fire and Edgar was hit in the chest.
His body had to be left behind, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the
Menin Gate.
WILLIAM SUTTON