1911 Census (Oakley, Ref 080)
Name Thomas Emery
Address: Oxford Road, Oakley
Building Cottage
Age: 21
Born 1890, Oakley
Status Single
Occupation General Labourer / Allotment Farmer
Other people on census
Mother (Head): Mary Emery (66, widow, 11 children born alive, 9 still living, 2 have died, born 1845, Oakley, Bucks)
Sister: Mary Ann Emery (38, single, born 1873, born Oakley, Bucks)
1901 Census (Oakley, ref 0787)
Name Tom Emery
Address: Oxford Road
Age: 11
Born 1890
Other people on census
Mother (Head): Mary Emery (56, widow, born 1845, Oakley, Bucks)
Brother: George Emery (34, single, Farmer Small Holding, born 1867, born Oakley, Bucks)
Sisters: Mary Ann Emery (28, single, Housemaid Domestic, born 1873, born Oakley, Bucks)
Agnes (14, single, born 1887, born Oakley, Bucks)
1891 Census (Oakley, ref 022)
Name Thomas Emery
Address: Oxford Road
Age: 1
Born 1890
Other people on census
Father (Head): Benjamin Emery (56, Married, Farm Labourer, born 1835, Brill, Bucks)
Mother: Mary Emery (46, Married, born 1845, Oakley, Bucks)
Brothers: William Emery (20, Single, Farm Labourer, born 1871, Oakley, Bucks)
Frederick Emery (15, Single, Farm Labourer, born 1876, Oakley, Bucks)
Sisters: Maryann Emery (18, Single, born 1873, Oakley, Bucks)
Eliza Emery (12, Scholar, born 1879, Oakley, Bucks)
Amey Emery (10, Scholar, born 1881, Oakley, Bucks)
Agness Emery (4, status, born 1887, Oakley, Bucks)
Medals
Victory Medal H/2/102 B46 7642
British Medal H/2/102 B46 7642
UK Army Registery of Soldiers’ Effects (ref 580059)
Credit £3 17s 11d Allocated on 03/12/17 to Mother Mary £3 17s 11d
War Gratuity Allocated on 15/11/19 to Mother Mary £6 0s 0d
Memorials/notes etc.
Oakley War Memorial.
Memorial YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL – Panel 4 and 6
Waddesdon Deanery Magazine. Sept 1917 – kia. Oct 1917 – 28 Years kia.
Memorial
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL.
The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war.
The Salient was formed during the First Battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British Expeditionary Force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele Ridge. The Second Battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the Allied lines north of Ypres. This was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an Allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence.
There was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the Third Battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by Commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened French front further south. The initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines Ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. The campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele.
The German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the Allies in September.
The battles of the Ypres Salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the Commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites.
The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.
The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.
Private Thomas EMERY
Known as Tom Emery
Born: 20 April 1889, Oakley, Bucks
Baptised: 7 July 1889, Oakley Church
Pre-War Occupation General Labourer / Allotment Farmer
Rank Private
Father: Benjamin Emery (born 1833, Little London, Bucksbapt. 15th Dec. 1833, Oakley Church; married 11th Oct 1864, Oakley Church died 1893, age 59, Oakley; bur. 22nd Mar 1893, Oakley Church)
Mother: Mary Emery, nee Eborn (born 1844, Oakley, Bucks; bapt.. 25th Aug 1844, Oakley Church; married 11th Oct 1864, Oakley Church; died 1931, age 86, Oakley; bur. 9th Mar 1893, Oakley Church)
Brothers (3) George Emery (born 1866, Oakley, Bucks; bapt.. 1st Jul 1866, Oakley Churchdied 1949, age 82, Oakley; bur. 7th Feb 1949, Oakley Church)
William Emery (born 1870, Oakley Bucks; bapt. 2nd Oct 1870, Oakley Church)
Frederick / Fred Emery (born 1875, Oakley Bucks; baptised 5th Sep 1875, Oakley Church;died 1959, age 84, Oakley; bur. 25th Jul 1959, Oakley Church)
Sisters (6) Sarah Jane Emery (born 1865, Oakley; bapt. 6th Feb 1865, Oakley Church)
Emma Emery (born 1868, Oakley; bapt. 6th Sep 1868, Oakley Church)
Mary Ann / Maryann / Mary Emery (born 1873, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 5 Jan 1873, Oakley Church; unmarrieddied 1950, age 77, Oakley; bur. 19th Oct 1950, Oakley Church)
Elizabeth / Eliza / Lizzie Emery (born 1879, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 6 Apr 1879, Oakley Church)
Amy / Amey / Ami Annie Emery (born 1881, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 1st May 1881, Oakley Churchdied 9th Jan 1971, age 89, Jericho Cottages, Oakley; bur. 14th Jan 1971, Oakley Church)
Agnes / Agness (born 13th Aug 1886, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 26th Sep 1886, Oakley Church)
Paternal Grandfather: Benjamin Emery (born 10th Jan 1808, Almartter, London, bapt. 14th Feb 1808, Saint Stephan Coleman Street, London; married 21st April 1831, St. Michael, Oxford, Occupation: Baker (in 1851), died 1857, age 49, Thame, Oxon; buried 5th Feb 1857, age 49, Oakley Church)
Paternal Grandmother: Ann Emery, nee (Shirley) Mortimore (born 1802, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 29th Aug 1802, Oakley Church; 2nd marriage 21st April 1831, St. Michael, Oxford, died 1875, age 73, Oakley, Bucks; bur. 15th Jul 1875, age 75, Oakley Church)
Maternal Grandfather: William Eborn (born 27th Sept 1795, Oakley, Bucks; baptised, date location; married 27th Nov 1833, St Giles, Oxford; Occupation Grocer in 1851, General Postmaster in 1861, died 1873, age 77, Oakley, Bucks; bur. 25th Feb 1873, Oakley Church)
Maternal Grandmother: Sarah Eborn nee Shirley (born 4th Sep 1811, Marsh Gibbon, Bucks; married 27th Nov 1833, St Giles, Oxford; died 1854, age 43, Oakley, Bucks; bur. 11th Jun 1854, Oakley Church)
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
First Names: Thomas
Surname: Emery
Birth town: Oakley, Bucks
Nationality: British
Residence Kirkdale, Liverpool
Date of death: 31st July 1917
Enlistment Place Liverpool
Fate: Killed in action
Death Place France and Flanders
Theatre of War Western European Theatre
Regiment The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment
Battalion 6th Battalion
Rank: Private
Service Numbers: 5196, 202281
Age 28
Monument Ypres Memorial
Military background
1/6th Kings Liverpool Regt
Service:
During 1917
The Battle of Pilkem Ridge, attack’s in the Spree, Pond and Schuler Farms area,
The Battle of Menin Road Ridge,
The Third Battles of the Ypres
1/6th Battalion (Rifles) – War Diary for 1/6th King’s (Liverpool) Regiment) – 29th to 31st July 1917)
29/07/1917 (“X” day) VLAMERTINGHE, YPRES
Battalion in reserve until evening.
Commencing at about 8 p.m., Battalion moved by companies into X/Y day positions as follows:
HQ CART dug outs, OXFORD TRENCH. B & C companies move past A company. CONGREID WALK. D company BOTTLE TRENCH. A company holding front line from LONE STREET (exclusive) to about 150 yards south of PAGODA STREET with 6 prots, bombing parties found by B & C companies, 150 strong.
Great Artillery activity by both sides
Casualties: 6 other ranks killed, 9 other ranks wounded (1 gas)
Strength of Battalion for battle, exclusive of nucleus 20 officers, 505 other ranks – Lt Col J.R. McKaig commanding.
30/07/1917 (“Y” day)
Battalion in position as above, until 9 p.m. when it moved up by company into assembly positions as follows:
Front line trench from LONE STREET (exclusive) to about 150 yards south of PAGODA STREET
• A Company on left, under Capt. A. Balmforth
• D Company on right, under 2nd Lt J.P. Grove
The above were forming 1st and 2nd waves to capture GERMAN SUPPORT LINE with 1 platoon each (numbers 3 and 16) as moppers-up for GERMAN FRONT LINE
• B Company on left, under 2nd Lt J.A. McLaren
• C Company on right, under Capt. G.D. Tyson
The above were forming 3rd and 4th waves to capture GERMAN RESERVE LINE and to consolidate the Brigade final objective (BLUE LINE). These two companies assembled in the Bonrespit (?) immediately behind the front line Parados (?)
• HQ CART dug outs in OXFORD TRENCH.
Weather wet and conditions muddy.
Artillery very active on both sides but the assembly was successfully carried out without casualties. During the night, our wire was cut by A & D companies.
31/07/1917 (“Z” day)
The 3rd Battle of YPRES commenced.
ZERO hour 03:50 a.m. when the attached commenced.
The battalion attacked in four waves as above with 1/5 South Lancashire (166 Infantry Brigade) on the left and with 1/5 The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment on our right.
The German front and support trenches were carried withy little trouble, some slight opposition being encountered at the monic (?) line. This however caused no delay and platoons from B & C companies pushed on to BLUE LINE and immediately commenced to dig in.
Strong points being dug, one on the left flank and on in front of JASPER FARM between JASPER FARM and the BLUE LINE.
The BLUE LINE was approximately from C23D 70 35 to C30A 10 90, thus being the battalion frontage.
At 05:05 a.m. The King’s passed through the BLUE LINE to attack the STUTZPUNKT LINE and DOMMAN REDOUBT.
This was successfully accomplished at 10:10 am the 164 Podc(?) started from the BLACK LINE (STUTZPUNKT LINE) to attack the GREEN LINE (GHELUVBELT-LANGEMARK LINE). This was also reached but the attackers troops had to fall back to a position about 200 yards in fron of the BLACK LINE.
At about 10:00 a.m. Battalion HQ moved from OXFORD TRENCH established HQ in GERMAN RESERVE line (CAMEL RES) at a point C29B 28.79 and shortly after arrival B & C companies were moved up to reinforce 9th BL The King’s at the BLACK LINE. These two companies digging in consolidating on the left flank to join up with 1/10 BL The King’s on their left.
A&C companies were simultaneously moved up to go man the BLUE LINE and strong point
These dispositions remained the same until relief.
Throughout the day, the shells on both sides was intense.
The estimate of prisoners captured by the battalion is approximately 100, with 80 or more dead were counted on the battalion front. Among trophies taken by the battalion were two trench mortars and two machine guns.
Condition from midday onwards were very wet
The Total Casualties for the battle, were given after the battalion was relieved on 2nd August. It was as follows
Officers: Capt. A. Balmforth Killed
2nd Lt H.P. Robinson Killed
Lieut G.B. Burton Died of wounds
2nd Lt J.P. Grove Missing
2nd Lt E. Griffin Missing
2nd Lt G.H. Merriman Wounded
Lieut R.R. Rathbone Wounded
, Lieut. W. Goffey Wounded
Lieut J. Paton Wounded
Other Ranks
29 Killed
145 Wounded
40 Missing
Commonwealth War Graves Commissions lists 486 deaths on 31st July 1917 for the whole of The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment.
