Military History

Thomas is listed as being killed in action on 24th October 1914. The following description of the events leading to Thomas' death is taken from the Internet Archive Book "The History of the Royal Scots Fusiliers 1678-1918 by John Buchan" (click here to read it in full) and covers the period 24th to 27th October 1914.

The 24th [October 1914] was a day of crisis at the point of the salient. During the night 40 of the enemy penetrated a gap in the line and were captured by the Scots Fusiliers. Very early in the morning huge German masses from the direction of Becelaere attacked the 2nd Wiltshires and surrounded and captured the bulk of the battalion. The front of the salient had given way, the enemy entered the Polygon Wood, destined to be the scene of much desperate fighting in days to come, and the 2nd Scots Fusiliers found their left flank completely turned. C Company was driven out of its trenches, and reduced to 2 officers and 75 men, and the Germans entered the chateau wood.

A message was received from General Capper “Hold on like hell: the Second Division is coming” and Baird Smith accordingly faced north with every available rifle in the firing line. The post of danger on the left was thinly held by Lieutenant H. W. V. Stewart, some four hundred yards north of the stream called the Reidelbeck, with his platoon and a few of the Wiltshires whom he had collected. There he remained till reinforcements from the Second Division arrived, and stopped a machine gun attack by himself, shooting down every member of two teams. The little party continued to take heavy toll of the enemy, and by their courage prevented the left of the battalion being rolled up. In the afternoon an attack on B Company’s advanced trenches was repulsed by a bayonet attack led by Lieutenant C. E. G. Mackenzie. With the fall of darkness the assault ebbed away. “Battalion wearied out,” is the laconic comment in the diary, Its losses were already more than four hundred.

The enemy did not follow up his achievement in the Polygon Wood; he was waiting for von Fabeck. But that night the 20th Brigade was heavily attacked at Kruseik, south of the Menin road - a critical point, for if the salient were broken there, the Germans would gain possession of the Zandvoorde ridge.

The attack was renewed in force just before the wet, misty dawn of the 25th, and the situation was not saved till after midday by a brilliant counter-attack of the 7th Cavalry Brigade. Orders were issued for an attack by the Seventh and Second Divisions that day, but it failed to materialize.

On the 26th it was becoming clear that the line of the Seventh Division was dangerously advanced, and that night General Capper was busy adjusting his brigades. Rawlinson returned to England to supervise the forming of his Eighth Division, and the Seventh Division and the 3rd Cavalry Division were temporarily attached to Haig’s I. Corps.

At two a.m. on the morning of the 27th the 21st Brigade was relieved and sent a few miles back to Hooge to rest. The 2nd Scots Fusiliers had been in the trenches since 17th October and had lost in casualties eight officers and 500 other ranks. They now mustered less than 500 men.