Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Godewaersvelde British Cemetery | I. E. 15. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.130 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 60A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 221st Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
Detail :
100130 Gunner Thomas Middlemiss, 221st Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. He was born at Wallsend on Tyne and was a Provision Manager. He enlisted at Wallsend on Tyne and died of wounds on the 20th September 1917 aged 33. His death was announced at a Lodge Meeting on the 10th October 1917.
He is buried in Godewaersvelde British Cemetery, Nord, France, Grave Reference I.E.15.
He is further commemorated at the Masonic Hall at Wallsend, where five brethren who made the Supreme Sacrifice are listed on a memorial plaque:
PODMORE, DAGLISH, ARMSTRONG, BROOMFIELD and MIDDLEMISS - four from Wallsend Lodge No. 2703 and one from Holy Cross Lodge. The memorial was dedicated by R.W.Bro.Colonel C.W. Napier Clavering, P.G.M (Northumberland), on the 29th September 1920.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Holy Cross No. 3679 E.C. | Northumberland |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th September 1913 | 8th October 1913 | 12th November 1914 |
The contribution record shows that he was "Killed in Action 31st May 1916."
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley