Cool Courage And Devotion To Duty.

GV Distinguished Conduct Medal. 1914 Trio.
8669 Pte. T. C. Cawthorne, 1st East Yorkshire Regiment.

Thomas Charles Cawthorne was born on 31st May 1889, the son of Thomas Cawthorne, a dealer of cat's meat, and his wife Sarah. The couple already had a son, George, and a daughter, Sarah, and resided at 35 Cranbrook Street, Bethnal Green. The street is pictured below.

On 14th June 1907, Thomas enlisted in the Militia as a volunteer in the 5th Royal Fusiliers. His Attestation Papers describe him as 18 years old, 5' 11" tall, 148lbs, and with a fair complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His trade is given as carman. It seems that he quickly decided that the military life would suit him as on 9th October 1907, Thomas enlisted as a regular soldier in the East Yorkshire Regiment. Unfortunately, Thomas Cawthorne's Service Papers for his time in the East Yorks have not survived. However, the few details that are known are particularly interesting.

On the outbreak of war, Thomas was serving with the 1st East Yorkshire Regiment and went to France with the Battalion on 8th September 1914. The Battalion fought on the Western Front for the whole war, taking part in the Battles of the Aisne, Armentieres, the Somme, Arras, and Third Ypres. On 21st March 1918, the Battalion was at Saulcourt and came under heavy shelling during the opening phase of the Kaiser's Battle and it was here that Thomas Cawthorne's bravery earned him the Distinguished Conduct Medal. A total of 134 DCMs were won by the East Yorkshire Regiment in the First World War. The citation reads:

"On 21st March, near Saulcourt, for cool courage and devotion to duty. While the camp was being heavily shelled and later on in the day for eleven hours, he assisted, under heavy shell fire, in evacuating the wounded. On 24th March 1918, and again on 28th March, it was largely due to his fine example and energy that many vehicles and horses among the transport were saved under heavy fire."

 

On 14th June 1918, the 1st East Yorks with a strength of 7 officers and 194 other ranks was travelling by train to the Abbeville area. Around 9.30pm, they passed through the station of Coulommiers, which was the first detraining station of the Battalion on its arrival on active service in France. This fact was of great interest to those who had been with the Battalion in September 1914. The Regimental History notes that only one officer and ten men of the original contingent were still with the Battalion, one of whom was Private Thomas Cawthorne.

Little is known of Thomas' life after the war and after his discharge from the army. In 1925, he married Lily Pattison, a local Bethnal Green girl. The death of a Thomas Charles Cawthorne of 10 Maplin Street, Mile End, London is recorded on 4th May 1975. This could possibly be the same man. He would have been 85 years old and Maplin Street is less than one mile from Cranbrook Street, where Thomas grew up. 

Pte. Vincent Patterson, Lincolnshire Regiment.

Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps "Cape Colony", "Paardeberg" & "Johannesburg".
2355 Pte. V. Patterson, Lincolnshire Regiment.

Vincent Patterson was born in Clarborough, near Retford, Nottinghamshire, around the year 1870. He was the last of four sons born to William and Mary Patterson. In 1889, having completed an apprenticeship with Mr Bradshaw, Vincent was working as a moulder, probably in the Carr Foundry in Albert Road, Retford, where heating and rainwater pipes, fireplaces, stoves and general engineering castings were made.

At Lincoln on 10th June 1889, Vincent Patterson attested for the Lincolnshire Regiment, agreeing to serve for seven years with the Colours and five years in the Reserve. Vincent was already serving in the Militia, as a volunteer in the 3rd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. His Attestation Papers describe him as 18 years 11 months old, just over 5' 4" tall, with a fair complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. His religion was given as Church of England and his one distinctive mark was the cicatrice of a wound on his left temple.

On 1st July, Vincent was posted to the 1st Battalion and embarked on a period of  home service, but on 12th November he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion for foreign service in India. His first Good Conduct Pay was awarded on 10th June 1891. Following two years in India, the 2nd Lincolns set sail for Singapore and service in the Strait Settlements. Vincent Patterson finally returned to England in March 1895 and his second Good Conduct Pay was awarded in June of the same year. On 9th June, Vincent was transferred to the Army Reserve and returned to civilian life. Less than three weeks later, on 26th June, he married Alice Maud Brown, who was seven years his junior, at St Michael & All Angels church at Woolwich. The couple set up house in Plumstead, London, where Alfred, their first son, was born soon after.

Following the outbreak of the South African War in 1899, Vincent Patterson was recalled for service with the 2nd Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, which sailed for the Cape on 4th January 1900, arriving there about three weeks later. Vincent would serve almost two years in South Africa as a regimental drummer, earning his entitlement to the Queen's South Africa Medal pictured here. Vincent's second son, Walter Kimberley, was born on 15th March 1900 during his time abroad, which no doubt influenced the choice of the boy's second name. Vincent was discharged from the army on 26th November 1901, having been found medically unfit for further service. He was now 31 years 4 months old and had served 12 years 170 days. His conduct and character while with the Colours was described as "very good." His intended place of residence was given as 7 Whitworth Place, Plumstead.
By the time of the 1911 Census, the Patterson family had moved back to Retford and were living in a four room dwelling at 33 East Street. Vincent was working as a machine moulder in an iron foundry and three more sons had been born; Henry Edward (born 12th September 1902), Sidney Herbert (born 5th February 1908), and William (born 11th September 1910).

Soon after the outbreak of the Great War, Vincent Patterson attested for one year's service in the Special Reserve. Examined at Retford on 11th September 1914, his Papers describe him as 5' 6" tall, weighing 114lbs and with blue eyes. On 15th September, he was posted to the 8th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment and on 5th May 1915 he was appointed Acting Corporal.

On 2nd November 1915, Vincent reported sick and was admitted to hospital at Killingholme. His condition worsened and on 5th November, he was transferred by ambulance to the Grimsby and District Hospital. Extremely ill on admission, he died two days later, the cause of death being given as acute lobar pneumonia. He was 45 years old. His Papers include a note describing how he was addicted to alcohol and had been discovered under the influence of drink, asleep outside in the open, a night or so before he was taken sick. Vincent is buried in East Retford Cemetery.

In May 1916, Vincent's widow, now living at 22 Abney Street, Sheffield, was awarded a pension of 23 shillings a week for herself and three children. Not having served abroad in the Great War, Vincent Patterson was not eligible for any WW1 campaign medals but his widow would have received a bronze Memorial Plaque and Scroll.