2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
Thomas Hopton was born in Gloucester early 1892 (he was baptised on 21 April) and was the son of Thomas Daniel Hopton (a bricklayer) and his wife Emily (née Skidmore). According to the 1911 Census the couple had eight children, seven then living and Thomas was the fourth eldest (second son). At that time the family lived at 20 Sweetbriar Street in the Kingsholm district of Gloucester: Thomas’ occupation was stated to be a ‘general labourer’.
Unfortunately no Army Service Record has survived for Thomas. However, we do know from the CWGC Register that he was serving with the 2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment and his Medal Index Card states that he first went abroad, to the Western Front, on 17 March 1915. The War Diary for the 2nd Glosters records the arrival at Dickebusch, near Ypres, Belgium, of a draft of 43 other ranks and it is highly likely that Private Thomas Hopton was one of these replacement soldiers. On 7 June 1915 the Western Daily Press published the latest list of casualties and Thomas Hopton was shown amongst the wounded. The wounds were probably received in either late May or early June, whilst his battalion was located in trenches in the Armentieres sector.
At the end of November 1915 the battalion left the Western Front and landed in Salonika on 12 December 1916 where it formed part of 81st Brigade and latterly 82nd Brigade, 27 Division opposing the Bulgarian Army. There it remained for the remainder of the war.
The Salonika Front was a notoriously unhealthy location, where malaria was rife. It is possible that Thomas fell sick at some point the next twenty months. He was evidently back in the UK on
16 September 1918 to marry Mary May Capener at St Mark’s Church, Kingsholm. The Church Register shows his occupation as ‘serving with HM Forces’. Both he and Mary were aged 26. On 2 October, just sixteen days later Thomas died – not in Gloucester but in the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley, near Southampton. A recently released Pension Record Card gives the cause of death as pneumonia (very likely as a result of contracting ‘Spanish Flu’). Possibly he had been granted leave to get married but fell ill shortly after, having returned to duty? His widow re-married in April 1922 and when the CWGC Register was compiled she gave her address as 20 Alma Place, Bristol Road, Gloucester.
Thomas was buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery, where a standard CWGC headstone now marks his grave. He is commemorated on the Gloucester War memorial.
An interesting fact emerged when conducting this research. Thomas had a brother called Daniel, who was seven or eight years younger. Daniel enlisted in the Army on 29 May 1915, when aged 16, as 4320 Private Daniel Hopton, 3/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment: he had claimed to be 19 years of age. By whatever means the authorities quickly learnt that he was under age to enlist and on 11 June 1915 he was discharged ‘having made a mis-statement as to age on enlistment’
GRA
18 April 2017
(revised 28 July 2021)