Capt. Edward Hector Le Marchant THOMAS (Uncle Ned) ²

  General Notes:

Census 1881 : Underskiddaw, Cumberland with his parents
Harrow School Sep 1882 - Easter 1883
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from the campaign medal roll at WO 100/211 : (Ceylon Mounted Rifles)
Regimental no. 6. Lc Corpl E. H. L.Thomas - clasps "Dreifontein", "Johannesburg", "Diamond Hill", "Wittebergen" "Cape Colony". Marginal note: " invalided to England 5/10/00 "
Regimental no. 60. Trooper J. H. Thomas - clasps "Dreifontein", Johannesburg", "Wittebergen" "Cape Colony" (seems to have missed the battle of Diamond Hill)
Jocelyn H. Thomas signed a receipt for his medal on 16/12/1901. He also signed for "Lieut. E. H. Thomas"'s medal on 9/12/1901.

Gazetted to 2nd Lieutnancy in 1902.

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Census 1901 : Edward H., Jocelyn, Flo & Helen where visitors at 64, Newton Hall, Whittington, Lancashire. Head of family: North North
Present in 1926 at the funeral of his sister in law Dorothy (w. of Henry Melville Thomas) in Cheltenham. Source: Obituary.

Ferguson' directory :
1913 : Commissions granted by the War Office: E.H. Le M. Thomas. 8th Batallion Rifle Brigade: Lieut.
1917 : Thomas E.H. LeM., lc.c F.R.C.I. .. Planter... (Lieut C.M.R. Reserve)... Late of Galleheria, Madulkelle... Capt., 9th Battn., E. Yorkshire Regt. Training Reserve... In Europe.
1920-192 1: Thomas E.H. LeM., lc.c F.R.C.I. .. Planter... Late of Galleheria, Madulkelle... Acting Major, East Yorkshires... In England.
1922 onwards: Not mentionned in Ferguson's directory.
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Re Captain Edward Hector Ie Marchant Thomas The East Yorkshire Regiment Our ref 00262 - please quote in all correspondence
Thank you for your recent letter regarding the above gentleman. We have been able to find some information.
No service papers or artifacts are held in the archives or museum of Captain Edward Hector Ie Marchant Thomas, however the following information has been found in our library from Army lists, Regimental Magazines, War Diaries, and other collections.
The June 1915 Army List shows that this officer was a temporary Captain in the 9^th (Service) Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment with effect from 4 January 1915. The Battalion did not serve overseas and it became a reserve Battalion. The January 1916 Army List shows him still a Captain with 9^th East Yorkshire Regiment. The Battalion eventually became a Training Reserve Battalion and the January 1919 Army List shows that Captain Edward Hector Ie Marchant Thomas was employed with 7^th Training Reserve Battalion. On 1^st September 1916 Captain Edward Hector Ie Marchant Thomas is shown as above in the January 1920 Army List but is not in the list for January 1921 as subsequent ones up to and including January 1930.
The Regimental Magazine "The Snapper" was searched and some items from 1915 -16 which may be of interest are enclosed. As it is a brief resume of the 9^th East Yorkshire Regiment taken from "The East Yorkshire Regiment In The Great War 1914-1918" by Everard Wyrall.

Follow-up : It would have been normal for Thomas to have joined the Ceylon Mounted Rifles for service in the Boer War. The regiment would have been composed of European's only. Lots of men joined up for the adventure, some got commissions, some did not.

Thomas may have remained in a volunteer unit, between the Boer War and the great War, whilst in Ceylon or he could have been a civilian.

As a planter (middle class/educated) used to controlling large numbers of men and with military wartime experience he would have been considered appropriate for a temporary commission.

Best regards
Graham Dyson
Assistant Curator


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UK Archives mentions a "faculty for erecting altar tomb on grave of Edward Hector Le Marchand Thomas" dated 5 March 1958, Church of England, Thurston Parish, Suffolk. Geraldine Blake was born in Thurston.

Grave in Thurston, Suffolk. Inscription:
Side 1:

"EDWARD HECTOR LE MARCHAND THOMAS
BORN 1867 SERVED IN THE SOUTH AFRICA WAR
WITH THE CEYLON MOUNTED RIFLE AND
WAS AWARDED MEDAL WIT FIVE CLASPS
COMMISSIONED IN THE KINGS ROYAL RIFLE
CORPS 1914 PROMOTED CAPTAIN EAST
YORKSHIRE REGIMENT DIED 1946"

Side 2:

" GERALDINE HIS WIFE OF ORGREAVE HALL
STAFFORDSHIRE BORN 1876 DIED 1965
DAUGHTER OF GEORGE PILKINGTON AND
ADELINE BLAKE OF THURSTON HOUSE
HE WAS CAPTAIN 84TH REGIMENT BEING
MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES AND WAS ONE
OF THE HEROES OF LUCKNOW 1857 LATER
COLONEL ROYAL SUFFOLK HUSSARS"

Orgreave Hall was (and still is) an old people's home in Staffordshire
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The following is taken from a scrap book in the National Army Museum in Chelsea. It originally contained just press cuttings etc, of the statue's unveiling and medal presentation ceremonies. However, there are quite a few letters and anecdotes which have been added much later, in biro, in an old person's hand. Most of the letters, I think, have been copied from those published in the Ceylon newspapers at the time, but I have not been able to check this out.
Best wishes
Randolph Jones
NAM 6405/48. Scrap book of the Ceylon Mounted Infantry, South Africa contingent c1900 consisting of notices, cuttings, drawings etc, compiled by Mrs Edward Thomas, whose husband (Captain E. H. C. Thomas, aka Ted) was in the contingent.
Pretoria Sept. 6^th . Here I am a patient in hospital at last! I felt wonderfully well till rain brought on rheumatism and gout. W. Ferguson is here. He has been ill with enteric, but is recovering. He and I have been ordered home.
Major Murray Menzies has succeeded Major Rutherford. Ted Thomas is in hospital in Bloemfontein. (Their horses were overladen and overworked.) His horse had come down several times and lastly rolled over him breaking his ribs, at Wolverden, and he had marched all the way without knowing it. He then helped lifting sacks of corn and collapsed and was sent to hospital.
Note. There it was assumed he had enteric and was placed in a bed between two men in the last stages of it. After being kept on a diet of milk for about a fortnight and developing no signs of enteric, he was overhauled. He said he thought he had pneumonia from the pain, but the doctors found he had broken ribs on both sides running into his lungs and he was sent down to Cape Town en route for home. On arriving in England his sisters met him and he asked them "Why they were in black?" They answered "Didn't you know Arthur has been killed?" He had heard nothing of it.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Census, 1881, England, United Kingdom. Underskidaw, Cumberland, England with his parents

2. School, Sep 1882-Apr 1983, Harrow, Middlesex, England.

3. Military Service: Ceylon Mounted Rifles, 1900, South Africa.

4. Military Discharge: Invalidated to England, 5 Oct 1900, England, United Kingdom.

5. Census, 1901, Newton Hall, Wittington, Lancashire, England. With his sisters Flo & Helen, visitors. Head North North

6. Military Service: Commissionned Lieut, 8th. Bat. Rifle Brigade Ceylon, 1913.

7. Military Service: Temp. Captain 9th Bat. East Yorkshire, 1915, England, United Kingdom.

8. Military Service: Acting Major East Yorkshire, 1920, England, United Kingdom.

Edward married Geraldine BLAKE, daughter of Col. George Pilkington BLAKE and Adeline KING KING, on 5 Feb 1907 in Hereford, Herefordshire, England.¹ (Geraldine BLAKE was born in 1877 in Thurston, Suffolk, England, died in Dec 1965 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England ⁴ and was buried in Thurston, Suffolk, England.)