Thomas Edward Davis

Rank 
Private
Regiment 
Essex Regiment
Date of death 
26 March 1917
Age of death 
18
Address 
4 Chatham Road
South Woodford
Woodford
E18 2HY
Address source 
1911 Census
Cemetery / Memorial 
Israel and Palestine (including Gaza)
Biography 

Born in 1898 at South Woodford, son of William George (Bootmaker) and Elizabeth Davis. His father died in 1900 at the age of 59. 1901: The census shows Thomas aged 2 living with his widowed mother and family at 4 Chatham Road, South Woodford. In 1905 his mother married James Bull, a Tea Market Clerk. 1911: Thomas was at school, and the family was still living at 4 Chatham Road. He enlisted at Loughton, and served with 1/4 Essex Regiment, the local Territorial Battalion. Sent out to the Middle East, he found himself in the line for the First Battle of Gaza. The 4, 5, and 6 Essex Battalions of 161 Brigade were not involved in the morning action, but occupied Mansura Ridge preparing to support 52 (Welsh) Division. The arrival of enemy reinforcements called them to readiness.

In front lay 3500 yards of open ground before the Turkish lines at Green Hill and the Labyrinth, with the highest Turkish position about 500 yards beyond that. Their orders were to capture and secure Green Hill, and 4 Essex took position on the right flank. At about 16.00 troops began to advance without expected artillery support, each company in line of platoons as if on field maneuvers. About 1 mile from the Turkish lines machine guns began firing and men began falling. The Battalions then moved into open order and advanced almost at running pace, a single line about 1000 yards long.

Pausing to allow reinforcement from two reserve companies of 6 Essex, the men rushed the Turkish positions on Green Hill and took them at bayonet point by 17.30. When night fell what was left of 4 Essex, 5 Essex and 3 Companies of 6 Essex, were busy adapting the Turkish positions against counter attack. But the machine guns had taken their toll.

The C.O. of 4 Essex, Lt. Col Jameson was mortally wounded about 200 yards from the objective, nine Officers were dead, and half the Battalion, 436 men, had become casualties of one sort or another.

There was a certain level of confusion and lack of information at Brigade Headquarters, which resulted in 161 Brigade later being ordered to withdraw from the secured Green Hill. They abandoned their gains and taking their wounded, retired with some difficulty. By midnight on 26-03, what remained of the 161 Brigade were back in the positions at Mansura Ridge which they had left during the late afternoon. Thomas Davis did not withdraw, because he was lying among the dead.   

Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian

Sources:

Ancestry.com

FindmyPast.co.uk

Regimental History