Thomas Crockett was born on Monday, 19th September 1887 at Bourne End, Hertfordshire and baptised on Sunday, 6th November at St Lawrence Church, Bovingdon in the same year. His parents William Crockett and Charlotte Butler had a total of twelve children together who were: Albert, Arthur William, Arthur, Ernest, Alice Elizabeth (Lizzie), Henry (Harry), Richard (Dick), Nellie, Thomas and William and two other children who died in infancy and are not known. 

Arthur also died in infancy in 1871. Thomas’ brother Ernest, served in the Great War with the Army Service Corps and survived. His younger brother William also fought and died in 1915 but he is not commemorated on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial. William’s biography appears in on this site on ‘The Missing Men’ page.

When Thomas was born the family was living at Bourne End and his father William worked as a ‘Footman’, possibly at one of the two large houses nearby in Box Lane; Boxmoor House or Boxlane House. By 1901 Thomas had started work aged thirteen and like his father, who had left domestic service, and two of his older brothers Harry and Dick, he was a ‘General Labourer’.

Thomas was called up to fight under the Group (Derby) Scheme in late 1915. He enlisted with the Middlesex Regiment attesting at Watford and joining the 1/8th (Territorial Force) Battalion. He was immediately sent to Hounslow to train and it is likely that he went to France, where he joined the Battalion in the Hallencourt area, the following June.

Shortly after arriving he saw action in the diversionary attack at Gommecourt on the 1st July, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. This was followed in September by three more battles at Ginchy, Flers-Courcelette and Morval all of which Thomas survived.

However, within two weeks he fell just as the Battle of Transloy Ridge began. The 8th Battalion had been in the trenches during the first eight days of October and had experienced heavy shelling by the enemy particularly on the 7th and 8th of the month.

At some point during these two days or possibly on the 9th when the Battalion was relieved, Thomas was fatally wounded. He died on the 9th October 1916.

Thomas is Remembered with Honour in Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France where he is interred in Grave I. H. 9.

He was 29 years old when he died.

Thomas was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.