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Thomas Henry ColeThomas Henry Cole was born in Frampton in 1893 and baptised at St Mary's on 23 July that year, the son of Albert Edward and Ruth Cole. Albert was a railway porter, and at the time of his baptism the couple's address was 5 Devon Street, Birmingham, although two years earlier Albert had been a general labourer and the family had lived at Junction Cottages, Saul. It seems that better job prospects had encouraged the move to the Midlands, for in 1901 Albert was a signalman on the railways. Thomas, though, was staying with his widowed grandmother, then named Elizabeth Payne (and formerly the widow Smith), who had been born in Frampton c. 1849 but was then living in Aston, Birmingham. In 1911 Thomas was a brass worker to a bedstead maker, living with his family at Small Heath, Birmingham. Marriage to Ellen Carter at the registrar's office in the city followed on 6 July 1914 and their son, Thomas Edward, was born on 1 May 1916.
Meanwhile, Thomas had taken a job as gun machinist at the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) company in Small Heath; he had also voluntarily joined the Territorial Company of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He was not immediately called up (possibly because of his job), and although on 10 December 1915 he was attested at Birmingham for a Short Service engagement, he was immediately placed on the Army Reserve and was not mobilised until 22 February 1917. He then reported to the 3/5th Battalion for training, followed by embarkation for France, arriving to join the 61st Division in December. He was posted to the 2/6th Battalion on 15 February 1918 and would have had little time to wait for action as on 7 April the Germans launched the Lys Offensive (also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres). The 2/6th Battalion was engaged in two of the main actions, at Estaires (9-11 April) and Hazebrouck (12-15 April). It was at some point in these actions, on 11 or 12 April, that Acting Lance Corporal Thomas Henry Cole was taken prisoner. He was not liberated until about 10 December 1918 when he was immediately repatriated, opting to be discharged as soon as possible, with effect from 12 February 1919. It appears that Thomas briefly returned to Frampton for he was recorded at an address on The Green during 1920-21 and his war service is commemorated on the plaque in the village hall. |