Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension | VIII.B.21. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.133 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 3C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of James and Hannah Rae, of Aberdeen, Scotland.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 43/Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment) |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Detail :
420780, Sergeant Thomas Wood Rae, 43rd Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment). Enlisted 18th December, 1914 at Winnipeg, Manitoba.
His casualty card show that he contracted and suffered for six days, of Influenza recovering and discharged back into service on the 3rd March, 1916. Later, on 16th August, he was admitted to No. 13 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne for facial burns. Discharged 10 days later.
He is commemorated on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial where an image can be seen of him in a group wearing kilts.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Prince Edwin's No. 125 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th December 1916 | 17th January 1917 | - |
Listed as a 23 year old Quarter Master Sergeant stationed at East Sandling, Hythe, Kent at the time of initiation in 1916. He advanced no further than that of Fellowcraft.
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