South Wales Borderers
Thomas Samuel King was one of eight children born to Jesse and Annie King both of whom were born in Painswick. I can find no baptism record for Thomas but he appears to have been born in Painswick in 1894.
At the 1901 Census, the family were living at Vicarage Street in Painswick. Jesse was a mason. There were three siblings, Rose, Joseph and Violet and two older family members, Sarah Fletcher and Hester Ireland who were listed as an aunt and cousin.
The 1911 Census shows the family living at Glen View, Vicarage Road, Painswick. It showed that Jesse and Annie had been married for 32 years and had eight children, two of which had died. Thomas now 17, was an apprentice barber. Living with the family were five-year-old Bessie, a granddaughter and boarders William Holland aged 63 and Ellen Seabourne, 53, who were both described as invalids.
Thankfully King’s service records survive. He attested at Newport Monmouthshire on 7 January 1915 giving his address as 1 New Villas, Newbridge, Monmouthshire and his occupation as hairdresser. He was aged 21 and 5 foot 6 inches tall. King was posted to the 10th (Service) Battalion (1st Gwent) of the South Wales Borderers, part of 115 Brigade, 38th Division) embarking for France from Southampton on 3 December 1915, arriving at Le Havre the following day. His character was described as very good.
A medical board paper dated 28 September 1916 describes the illness that afflicted King in the three months following his arrival in France. In March 1916 it stated he had pleurisy with effusion. He ‘had been sleeping in the wet and became ill’. King was admitted to hospital in France with pneumonia and pyrexia — four pints of fluid being drained from the left pleura. He was described as a ‘weakly man’ weighing only eight stone five ounces with ‘poor muscular development’ being ‘breathless on the slightest exertion’. He was found to have a permanent disability with six monthly reviews. King was before medical boards on 14 February and 19 September 1917 having been awarded a pension of 22 shillings from 4 April 1917. King was admitted to Bagthorpe Military Hospital Nottingham on 6 May 1916 and was finally discharged from service at Shrewsbury on 29 September 1916.
King’s Mother, Annie was awarded £8 on 21 June 1920 and a 5 shillings per week dependents’ pension with effect from 6 November 1918.
I have researched Thomas’ two older brothers but can find no record of them serving during the war. I did find Joseph listed as a bandsman aboard a Royal Navy ship at the 1911 Census bu nothing further. David, who was 14 years Thomas’ senior, appears to have been the ‘black sheep’ of the family being imprisoned in 1910 for stealing bicycles, plates and cutlery. There is a report of the case in the Gloucester Citizen.
Private Thomas Samuel King died from TB on 23 February 1918; he was 25 years old. He is buried in Painswick Cemetery. He has a CWGC headstone.
Researched by Helen Wollington 13 July 2020