East Lancashire Regiment, Service no. 22415
Born 29th August 1875. Died: 1955
Story
Thomas was the son of Herbert Byers and Hannah Bickerdike (1850-1914), and was baptised in Kippax on 29th October 1876. His brother was Robert Byers who was killed during the War in Germany on 14th August 1918. The family moved around all over Kippax from Church Lane, Mill Lane, Well Lane and Gibson Lane. Thomas married Grace Ann Nicholson in Burley, Leeds on 11th November 1899, and the couple went on to have ten children. Thomas’s mother Hannah also separated from his father Herbert, and came to live with them on Sissons Row, Kippax. Thomas was a coal miner, but also ran the Old Tree Inn from 1902 to 1909. Thomas struggled for money, and was imprisoned three times at His Majesty’s Prison, Wakefield for Debt: 11th August 1908 to 30th August 1908; 4th October 1910 to 23rd October 1910; and 3rd September 1913 to 10th September 1913. After the outbreak of War, Thomas enlisted in the 12th (miners’) Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in Pontefract on 31st May 1915. He was 5 ft 1¾ inches tall, and was 40 years-old, but claimed to be 36 years and 3 months old to allow him to enlist with this Battalion.
Thomas’ time in the Army was an unhappy one, as he struggled with health, adjusting to Army discipline, and family bereavements. He was confined to Barracks for 4 days after overstaying his leave on 10th November 1915, and repeated the offence in Harrogate on 5th February 1916, for which he was docked 21 days’ pay and confined to Barracks for 8 days. On 9th July 1916, he was sent to hospital for a month, and his daughter Priscilla died from meningitis on 2nd October 1916, aged 10. On 3rd June 1917, Thomas was again sent to hospital, this time with bronchitis, and was invalided to India after being diagnosed with degeneration of the myocardium (muscular tissue of the heart). He left India on 5th March 1919, and four days later on the 9th, his two year-old son Frederick died from bronchitis. Thomas was discharged from the Army on 2nd May 1919. In 1939, Thomas and Grace were living at 12 Rookwood Place, Leeds, and Thomas had retired. He passed way in 1955, at the age of 80.
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