Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No.3 | III. G. 6. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.136 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 14D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross | ||
Family :
Son of Cornelius Thorne of Maison Rouge in Sidcup, Kent, and Elizabeth Frances Thorne of King's Ridehouse, Camberley, Surrey.His youngest brother, Joseph, survived WWI, but was killed in May 1940 during the retreat from Dunkirk.
Education & Career :
Captain Cornelius Thorne was educated at 'The Hazard' in Sheringham, Norfolk, at Haileybury College in Hertfordshire, and Clare College, Cambridge.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 150th Company |
| 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.
They both served in the 8th Bttn of the East Surreys.
Detail :
Cornelius was killed in September 1916, near the Schwaben Redoubt. He was shot by a sniper.
Probate Record: THORNE, Cornelius of Lovells Cottage, Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk - Captain East Surrey Regiment M.C., died 30th September 1916 in Flanders. Administration London, 9th January to Elizabeth Frances Thorne, widow. Effects £6106 3s 5d.
Citations & Commemorations :
He received a Military Cross in 1915 for going into no man's land to rescue his brother, who had been lost during an attack on a German sniper. He found his brother and brought him back, but sadly his brother was dead.Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Isaac Newton University No. 859 E.C. | Cambridgeshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
3rd February 1914 | 28th April 1914 | 26th May 1914 |
Discrepancies (Require checks, clarity or further research) :
Records of United Grand Lodge show the records with the following annotation: "Killed in Action 30th Sept. 1916" - so not 16th August 1917. Confirmed by the Probate record
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