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Major
GEORGE BARNES THOMAS
Royal Engineers

(Formerly 26665 and 1853125 Quartermaster Sergeant)  

by

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, PE, MInstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(August 2020)

Figure 1.  Major George Barnes Thomas, R.E.
(Photograph from The Sapper, October 1950)  

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            This work was begun some 23 years after the author obtained a number of medals that were awarded to Major Thomas for his service in the Great War of 1914 to 1918 and for his service in World War 2.  This narrative is based on information obtained from Army Lists, census documents, various civil documents, The Edinburgh and London Gazettes, internet web sites and various military documents.  Thomas’s obituary from the October 1950 edition of The Sapper magazine is one of the primary sources of information used in this narrative.  Where specific reference is not given for any information contained herein, the reader should assume that the obituary was the source of the information.

            Family trees found on Ancestry.com normally are a good source of information regarding an individual or his/her family.  There are four public family trees related to George Barnes Thomas available on Ancestry.com.  Unfortunately the four appear to have been derived from each other and do not, at present, contain a significant amount of information about George or his family members.  There is one private family tree that I have not yet tried to access.  Once this narrative of his life and military service has been completed, I will contact the creator of the private tree and include a copy of this work in my message.  

            Every effort has been made to make this account of his life and military service as complete and as accurate as possible.  To make his story even more accurate would require access to his service papers which, if extant, would be at the Army Personnel Centre (APC) in Glasgow, Scotland.  These papers would provide more precise information than what is presently available to the author with regard to dates and places in the Thomas story.  If these papers are obtained, significant changes to this narrative may be required with regard to his military service.  At present the COVID-19 pandemic has all but closed down operations at the APC.  Once they resume normal operations an attempt will be made to obtain Thomas’s service papers.  

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE  

The Thomas Family

            George Thomas’s parents were Richard Thomas (1861-?) and Mary Thomas, née Gregory (1859-?).  Richard and Mary were married in Chester, Cheshire on the 15^th of August 1880.  They had seven children, five boys and two girls, all born in Chester.

·          Lillie Thomas (1881-?)

·         Percy Bridge Thomas (1883-1920)

·         Ethel Mary Thomas (1884-?)

·         Richard Gregory Thomas (1886-1945)

·         George Barnes Thomas (1893-1950)

·         Charles Ellis Thomas (1895-1968)

·         John Salmon Thomas (1898-1952)

            The 1901 Census of England shows the Thomas family living at 9 Tarvin Road in Chester⁽¹⁾ with details as indicated in the table below.  

1901 Census of England and Wales

 TABLE NOTES:

(1)   By the time of this research the structure in which the Thomas family lived had been replaced by a modern building.

(2)   At the time of this census Richard Thomas declared his profession to be “Professor of Music” working on his own account; that is, self-employed.  In both the 1881 and 1891 census his occupation is listed as Bookkeeper and George B. Thomas’s birth certificate (1892) shows his father’s occupation as Auctioneer’s Clerk.  It would appear the by 1901 Richard Thomas had given up the bookkeeping/clerk business and had become a music teacher, declaring himself to be a “Professor.”

(3)   Charles Ellis Thomas was born on 11 August 1895 in Chester.  He would have been six years old at the time of this census, but his name does not appear in the census return.

            The Thomas family was still residing at 9 Tarvin Road in Chester in 1911 as indicated in the 1911 Census of England and Wales shown in the table below.  

1911 Census of England and Wales

 TABLE NOTES:

(1)   Unlike the 1901 Census, the full name of each individual is shown.

(2)   Only the marital status of Richard and Mary is shown.

(3)   Charles does appear in this census.  Presumably he was away from home at the time of the 1901 census.

(4)   Lillie Thomas does not appear in the 1911 census.  She would have been 30 years old by this time and presumably married.

The Early Life of George Barnes Thomas  

            George Barnes Thomas was born in Boughton, Cheshire, a neighborhood to the east of Chester city center, on the 23rd of December 1892.[1]  His birth was not registered until sometime in January of 1893.[2]  He was baptized at St. Paul’s Church in Chester on the 29^th of January 1893.[3]

Figure 2.  St. Paul’s Church, Chester, Cheshire.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)  

             George was educated at Chester City and County Secondary School.  Prior to joining the Regular Army in 1914, Thomas served in the Cheshire (Earl of Cheshire's) Yeomanry before enlisting in the Royal Engineers.  This Territorial Force (T.F.) Yeomanry Regiment had its headquarters at the Old Bank Buildings in Chester. At the time that Thomas was serving in the Regiment, it was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel H.M. Wilson.

              The Cheshire Yeomanry was a descendant of a volunteer tradition that dated back to 1797, when six independent mounted troops were raised in the county during the crisis of the Napoleonic era.  In 1803 they were formed into the Western Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry and by 1908, were the Earl of Chester’s Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry.  In common with all such units, they were absorbed into the Territorial Force, when it was established in 1908 as part of wide-ranging reforms of the British Army in the light of experience of the South African war, and the growing international tension in Europe. The newly-named “Cheshire Yeomanry (Earl of Chester’s) (Hussars)” was composed of part-time soldiers like George Thomas.[4]  George surely continued to work for the railroad while he served in the regiment.

Figure 3.  The Old Bank Buildings, Chester, Cheshire.  Headquarters of the Cheshire Yeomanry in 1908.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

Figure 4.  Men of the Cheshire Yeomanry, c. 1908, During Field Training.
(Photograph courtesy of Flickr.com)

[Could Trooper George Barnes Thomas be in this photograph?]

            The Territorial Force had been created in 1908 and recruits to the T.F. had to be at least 17 years of age to join.  Thomas turned 17 on the 23^rd of December 1909, so he could not have enlisted before this date.  Exactly when he did enlist is not known.  Since the Yeomanry was a mounted regiment, one could assume that George Thomas could ride and that he had gone through training as a cavalry trooper.           

3.  ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING  

            Thomas enlisted in the Royal Engineers on the 1st of April 1914, almost four months before the start of the Great War. Although he enlisted in April he was not attested (that is, sworn in) until the 1st of July.  After receiving the required medical certifications, and after final approval of his enlistment, 26665 Sapper George Barnes Thomas was sent to the Royal Engineers Depot at Chatham, Kent where he was trained in the basics of soldiering and military engineering.  Many of the basics of soldiering were already known to him from his training in the Cheshire Yeomanry.  Although the date of his enlistment in the yeomanry is not known, he could have served from as early as 1909 to 1914 when he joined the Royal Engineers.  During this 5-year period, although only a part-time soldier, he would have learned much regarding marksmanship, living in the field during annual exercises and other soldierly skills.  

 4.  ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Posting to France (1916)

            Following this training at Chatham it appears that Sapper Thomas remained in the U.K. for some time.  The date of his first arrival in France is uncertain. His obituary in the October 1950 edition of The Sapper states that he arrived in the theater of the war early in 1915. Another source of information indicates that he arrived in France on the 20th of June 1916.  This second source of information is a small type-written note that accompanied his medals (probably produced by a medal researcher for the previous owner of the medals).  Unfortunately his medal index card does not show the date of his first arrival in France.  However, since Thomas was not authorized the 1914-15 Star for his service during the war, it appears that the June 1916 date is more likely to be the correct date.   

            Thomas served in France for the duration of the war, although his specific unit of assignment and the location(s) where he served are unknown.[5] What is known is that during the war he was promoted to the rank of Engineer Clerk 2nd Corporal, E.E.S. and was in fact an Acting Quartermaster Sergeant in his unit, a rather dramatic rise for a young soldier.  Undoubtedly his prior service in the Cheshire Yeomanry had something to do with his being appointed an Acting Quartermaster Sergeant while his substantive rank was only 2^nd Corporal.  Before he enlisted in the Royal Engineers he already was familiar with the workings of the Army.  His civilian position as a Railway Booking Clerk may also have helped in that he was familiar with administrative type work.

Establishment for Engineer Services

             At this point it would be of interest to give a short description of the organization and work of the Establishment for Engineer Services (E.E.S.) during the time of Thomas's service. The E.E.S. was the organization within the Royal Engineers which was responsible for the design, construction, and management of military works projects throughout the British Army. These projects were those of the non-combat engineer type; that is, projects involving construction of barracks and other facilities at military stations in Great Britain and overseas. Immediately prior to the Great War the supervising and clerical establishment for Engineer Services at home and abroad consisted of both military and civilian personnel. On the military side there were 48 Superintending Inspectors of Works and Inspectors of Works, 269 Foremen of Works, 250 Engineer Clerks, Draughtsmen, and Ledgerkeepers, and 213 Military Mechanists (Machinery) and Electricians, for a total of 780 individuals. Civilian personnel consisted of 398 Temporary Surveyors' Clerks, Clerks of Works, Pensioner Foremen of Works, Clerks, Draughtsmen and Ledgerkeepers, for a total of 1,178 soldiers and civilians.

            A considerable number of the Military Staff were detailed to proceed overseas with the Expeditionary Force to France after the start of the war, and further heavy demands for personnel had to be met almost immediately. These requirements were met by drawing non-commissioned officers and men from the Home Commands and replacing them with civilians.

            Early in 1915 a demand for surveyors' clerks was met by selecting a number of Military Foremen of Works who possessed all the necessary qualifications and sending them to France, since there were at the time no military personnel graded as surveyors' clerks. It soon became necessary to augment the permanent military establishment by the formation of a temporary establishment. The personnel for this temporary establishment were taken from the Corps of Royal Engineers, in the case of clerks, draughtsmen and ledgerkeepers, using men of lower rank to fill these positions.  As a former railway booking clerk, Thomas would have been qualified, with some minimal additional training, to take the position of either a clerk or ledgerkeeper.   

            In April of 1915 the supply of clerks and ledgerkeepers could not be maintained in this manner, and it became necessary to specially enlist men, giving them the rank of 2^nd Corporal or Corporal. In May of 1915 appeals were sent to all foreign stations asking that any warrant officers or non-commissioned officers who could be spared might be sent home to assist in filling the vacancies in the more senior positions within the Establishment for Engineer Services.[6]  See Annex A for a more detailed description of the work of the E.E.S.

            The shortages of skilled personnel, as described above, may provide an explanation regarding the reason for Thomas being appointed an Acting Quartermaster Sergeant by the end of the war. Almost immediately after the Armistice on the 11th of November 1918, Thomas left France for Germany where he served in the occupation forces at the General Headquarters of the British Rhine Army in Cologne.[7]  For his service in the Great War Thomas was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.[8]

Interwar Service (1919-1939)  

            On the 3rd of June 1919 the London Gazette published the following as part of the King's Birthday Honours and Awards:

"His Majesty has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Meritorious Service Medal to the following Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men, in recognition of valuable service rendered with the Armies in France and Flanders: -  

26665 E.C. 2nd Corporal (A./Q.M. S.) G.B. Thomas, E.E.S.”  

Sheerness (1921-1924)

            At the time the award of the M.S.M. was made, Thomas was serving with the Establishment for Engineer Services at Sheerness in Kent as an Engineer Clerk.  The Sheerness Garrison formed part of the defence system for the River Thames and the River Medway.  Thomas was stationed there in support of the Kent Fortress Engineers in the Sheerness area.

Chester (1924-1927)

            In 1924 Thomas was serving in his home town of Chester with the E.E.S. It was there that he became associated with the Royal Engineers Old Comrades Association (R.E.O.C.A.).[9]   He maintained a keen interest in this organization and was active in it right up to the time of his death some 26 years later.

            On the 2nd of October 1925 Thomas was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2, Engineer Clerk Quartermaster Sergeant. Up to this time he had spent a total of 11 years and 93 days in the ranks. His Army Number, issued after the Great War, was 1853125.  Within the Establishment for Engineer Services the following ranks of Clerk existed up to the point where Thomas received his promotion:

Engineer Clerk 2^nd Corporal (E.C. 2^nd Cpl.)

Engineer Clerk Corporal (E.C. Cpl.)

Engineer Clerk Lance Sergeant (E.C. L.-Sjt.)

Engineer Clerk Sergeant (E.C. Sjt.)

Engineer Clerk Staff Sergeant (E.C. S.S.), also (E.C.S.-Sjt.)

Engineer Clerk Quarter Master Sergeant (E.C.Q.M.S.)  

Between 1919 and 1925 Thomas had been promoted from Engineer Clerk 2^nd Corporal to Engineer Clerk Quarter Master Sergeant, five promotions within six years!  This is an extraordinary promotion rate, with each promotion only a little over a year after the previous one.  He certainly must have passed over some ranks in order to achieve this rapid progress in his career.  It is has to be a testament to his prowess as an engineer soldier and clerk.

Aden (1927-1928)

            E.C.Q.M.S. George Thomas was posted to British Forces Aden on the 1^st of October 1927.  This was the British command in the Aden Protectorate during the early part of the 20^th century.  Its purpose was to preserve the security of the Protectorate from both internal threats and external aggression.  British Forces Aden was later renamed Aden Command in 1928.  On its establishment Aden Command was a Royal Air Force command which was responsible for the control of all British armed forces in the Protectorate.  On the 8^th of March 1928 Group Captain W.G.S. Mitchell[10] took command.[11]

            Aden appears to have been a somewhat tedious posting.  A Sapper Robert Whiffin serving with the 20^th Fortress Company described the company’s area in Aden as follows after his unit was posted there at about the same time that Thomas served there: 

“Prickly heat was a constant torment.  There was little to do except train in building field works, shoot at the Gold Mahur Range, enjoy the soldiers’ zoon and pay visits to the hinterland.”

It is not known whether Thomas was serving with the 20^th Fortress Company at the time or whether he was there with an E.E.S. detachment to provide engineer support to the base facilities.

            Years later a Mr. J. Campbell with the RAF Khormaksar Engine Repair Shop gave the following description of life within the Aden Command compound:

“The camp was divided into two parts, with one side the domestic side and across the road the working side containing the hangars and workshops.  The camp was guarded by Aden Levies and Native Labour, mainly Somalis.  We would go to work just after 6 am, returning for breakfast around 8 am, and on returning to work, finish round noon.  The temperature was usually around 98 with the humidity the same.  Afternoons usually meant a couple of hours in bed, after which we indulged in sport.  Despite having arrived from Iraq, we were not allowed to compete in any sporting activity for the period of one month.  Each hut had a native servant and boy to look after every need, such as cleaning shoes or fetching tea in the morning, and if memory serves we each paid about eight annas per week for this service.  Laundry was collected each morning and returned the same afternoon, immaculate.  Swimming was played in a wired-off enclosure in the sea and had a platform on which a lookout stayed watching for sharks or barracuda.  Sometime after a liner passed, the rollers would sweep over the wire and bring in unwanted visitors.  The Royal Engineers then cleared the place before it was safe to swim again.”

The conditions described by Mr. Campbell were probably much like those experienced by E.C.Q.M.S. Thomas during his stay in Aden.  The Royal Engineers that he mentions could well have been men of the Establishment for Engineer Services who supported the garrison.

Chester (1928-1931)

            E.C.Q.M.S. Thomas returned home aboard S.S. Ranpura on the 12^th of October 1928.  His home address, as given on the ship’s manifest, was 9 Western Approach, Brook Lane, Chester.[12]  His new posting was to be with the Western Command Royal Engineers Headquarters at 102 Watergate Street in Chester.[13]

Figure 5.  S.S. Ranpura.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            Thomas provided normal E.E.S. clerical duties while serving at Chester until December of 1931 when he was posted to Ireland.  

Figure 6.  Western Command R.E. H.Q. at 102 Watergate Street, Chester, Cheshire.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

Ireland (1931-1934)

            Thomas was posted to the Southern Ireland Coastal Defences (S.I.C.D.) in support of facilities at Camden Fort Meagher.  Camden Fort Meagher was a coastal defence fortification close to Crosshaven, County Cork, Ireland. Together with similar structures at Fort Mitchell (Spike Island), Fort Davis (Whitegate), and Templebreedy Battery (also close to Crosshaven), the fort was built to defend the mouth of Cork Harbour.  His work would have been to provide E.E.S. assistance to the Royal Artillery batteries and the Royal Engineers fortress companies that were stationed at the various installations.[14]

            In 1932 he completed 18 years of service with the Colours while in Ireland and was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.   

York (1934-1939)

            Sometime in early 1934 Thomas was stationed with the E.E.S. in York.  On the 1^st of April 1934 he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 1, Superintending Clerk.  He had completed 8 years and 181 days as a Warrant Officer Class 2.[15] 

            WO1 Thomas’s assignment in York was with the Royal Engineers Headquarters at Fishergate House in York.  In December of 1934 he was given permission to serve beyond 21 years.   In some cases, especially where men of high quality were concerned, Warrant Officers were allowed to continue in service after 21 years and thus earn a higher pension.  Leave for such a continuance had to be obtained from higher authorities and men on such prolonged service could claim their discharge at any time upon three months’ notice.  In Thomas’s case, as an outstanding Warrant Officer with much to offer the Army and the Royal Engineers, his retention beyond 21 years was assured.

Figure 7.  Fishergate House, York.  Northern Command Headquarters.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

World War 2 (1939-1945)

            George Barnes Thomas was given a commission on the 17^th of September 1939 and was appointed Lieutenant and Quartermaster, R.E.  He had served 5 years and 169 days as a Warrant Officer Class 1 and upon receiving his commission he was posted for duty in both the London District and the Scottish Command.[16]  In September of 1939, the London District included the 1st and 2nd London Divisions, the 22nd Armoured Brigade, the Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards and five Guards infantry battalions.  During the war the operational headquarters of London District was temporarily based at Leconfield House in Curzon Street.[17]  Precisely where Thomas was stationed in not known.

            In September 1939 the Scottish District consisted of the Highland Area with 9th (Highland) Infantry Division and 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, and the Lowland Area with 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division and 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, plus other troops.  Again, without access to Thomas’s service paper, it is not possible to know precisely when and where he served within the Scottish District.

            The rather tumultuous years of the war produced a number of changes in rank for Thomas. On the 1st of January 1940 he was appointed an Acting Captain, and shortly thereafter, on the 1st of April he was promoted to the rank of Temporary Captain. On the 19th of November 1941 he reverted to his substantive rank of Lieutenant, but on the 1st of November 1942 he was given a War Service promotion to the rank of Captain.

            In 1943 he was assigned to the South Eastern District and remained there until the end of the war.  Much of the Battle of Britain was fought in this region, especially in Kent.  RAF Bomber Command was based at High Wycombe. RAF Medmenham at Danesfield House, west of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, was important for aerial reconnaissance. Operation Corona, based at RAF Kingsdown, was implemented to confuse German night fighters with native German-speakers, and coordinated by the RAF Y Service.  Many Royal Engineers Anti-Aircraft Battalions also were stationed in this area.  In addition to support the Royal Air Force installations in the area, Thomas must surely have been involved with support for the AA battalions.

            Although he saw no active service during World War II, Thomas was authorized the Defence and War Medals. Shortly after the end of the war, on the 17th of September 1945, Thomas was promoted to the rank of Captain (Quartermaster) in the Royal Engineers.   

Post War Service (1945-1950)

            In 1946 Captain Thomas was posted to Germany as the Assistant Commander Royal Engineers in the Hamburg District.  On the 23^rd of April 1947 he was promoted to the rank of Major (Quartermaster).  His wife and youngest daughter joined him in Hamburg in February of 1948, his eldest daughter being married remained in England.

            On Sunday, the 6th of August 1950, Major Thomas suddenly died. He had been actively at work the day before, and his sudden death was a shock to all Royal Engineers in the Hamburg District. He was only 57 years old at the time of his death and had completed over 37 years of service and this did not account for his years with the Cheshire Yeomanry.

            Prior to his burial on the 11th of August 1950, a service was held for Major Thomas at Saint Paul's Church in Hamburg, conducted by Captain the Reverend F.G.A. Cook, the resident Chaplain. 

            After the service a procession over half a mile long followed the gun carriage to the cemetery. Many German civilians employed by Major Thomas stood along the route to pay their last respects to the officer who had done so much to endear himself to his employees. The most striking tributes were shown in the mass of wreaths and flowers flowing into the unit before the funeral.  The hiring and supervision of local civilians was typical of the responsibilities undertaken by officers, warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers assigned to the Establishment for Engineer Services.  Local civilian tradesmen (and women) frequently were used in place of military personnel to deal with construction and maintenance at garrisons both at home and abroad.  Major Thomas appears to have employed many German civilians during his time in Hamburg.

            Major "Tommy" Thomas, as he was popularly known, was buried with full military honours in Plot 12, Row A, Grave lA at the British Cemetery of Hamburg, in Ohlsdorf, Germany. This is a post war plot maintained by the British Services in Germany. Ohlsdorf is one of the northern suburbs of Hamburg, to the east of the airport. The cemetery, which is opposite Ohlsdorf Station, is an extremely large one. The main entrance is some 200 meters from the station. The British Plots, which are signposted, are nearly three kilometers from the main entrance.

            An impressive service was conducted at the graveside and the Last Post and Reveille were sounded by trumpeters of the 15th/19th Hussars. After the service members of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes,[18] of which Major Thomas had been a member, gathered round the graveside to hold their own small service as a last tribute to their departed brother.

Figure 8.  Badge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            Mrs. Thomas was inundated with messages of sympathy and condolence from civilians and military personnel stationed in England and the Continent.   

________________________________________________________________________

            The following sections are presented in tabular form to summarize Thomas’s promotions, appointments, military training and qualifications and the medals that he was awarded during his time in the Army.  They are provided to give the reader easy access to these aspects of his military career.  The tables are followed by sections dealing with his marriage, personal information and post-service life.

________________________________________________________________________  

5.  PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

            George Barnes Thomas received the following promotions during his time in service:

6. MILITARY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS  

Military Training: Thomas would have received training as a cavalryman when he enlisted in the Cheshire Yeomanry.  After joining the Royal Engineers he would have received training at the School of Military Engineering at Chatham and after being posted to the Establishment for Engineer Services he would have surely received some specialized training as a Clerk.  

Qualifications:  Thomas earned the following qualifications during his time in service.

7.      MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            Major Thomas received the following medals, awards and decorations during his time in service:[19]

Figure 9.  The Great War Medal Index Card of Major George Barnes Thomas, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

NOTE:  The Medal Index Card does not show eligibility for the 1914-15 Star Medal; therefore, Thomas did arrive in France in 1916.

Figure 10.  The Medals of Major George Barnes Thomas, Royal Engineers.
(Photographs from the author’s collection)  

8.  MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

Marriage

            George Barnes Thomas was married, but no information regarding the date of his marriage or his wife’s name could be found during the research for this project.  His obituary indicates that he and his wife had two daughters, but again no information about them could be located.  Future additions to his family tree on Ancestry.com may provide more information about his wife and children.

Family Information[20]

            The known details regarding his parents have been discussed in Section 2.  The following information about his siblings was uncovered during the research for this narrative:

• George’s sister Lillie was born in Chester in about 1881.  No definitive information could be found regarding her marriage or her death. 
• George’s brother, Percy Bridge Thomas, was born in Chester in January of 1883.  Percy served as a Private in the Army Service Corps (Regimental No. DM2/171175) during the Great War.  Percy was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal as shown by his Medal Index Card.

Figure 11.  The Medal Index Card of Private Percy B. Thomas, A.S.C.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)  

The Medal Index Card also shows that Percy was discharged on the 19^th of January 1918 and that he was entitled to the Silver War Badge.  The Silver War Badge was issued in the United Kingdom and the British Empire to service personnel who had been honorably discharged due to wounds or sickness from military service in Great War.  Percy’s name appears on the roll for this badge dated 23 January 1918 and prepared at the Woolwich Dockyard.  The roll indicates that he served in a Motor Transport unit of the Army Service Corps and that his badge number was 316414.  Percy enlisted on the 8^th of December 1914 and he was 35 years old when he was discharged due to sickness.  The nature of his illness is not known, but it must have been serious, as Percy died in Chester on the 28^th of May 1920, only two years and four months after his discharge from the Army.  He was buried at Overleigh Cemetery in Chester on the 31^st of May 1920.  

Figure 12.  The Silver War Badge.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

Figure 13.  The War Badge List Showing the Issue to Private P.B. Thomas, A.S.C.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)  

• George Thomas’s brother, Richard Gregory Thomas, was born in Chester on the 16^th of July 1886, making him 28 years of age when the Great War started.  Although he was of age to serve in the Great War, there is no record that he did so.  He died in Chester on the 13^th of May 1945.
• George’s brother, Charles Ellis Thomas, was born in Chester on the 11^th of August 1895.  Charles served in the Great War as a Private (Regimental No. 017033) in the Army Ordnance Corps.  He rose to the rank of Acting Corporal by the end of the war and was transferred to the Class “Z” Army Reserve on the 12^th of October 1919.  He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service.

Figure 14. Medal Index Card of Private C.E. Thomas, A.O.C.

(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)  

      Charles Thomas died in Chester on the 12^th of October 1968.  Pages from his service papers are available on Ancestry.com.  See the link in the REFERENCE section of this narrative under Internet Web Sites.

·         George’s brother, John Salmon Thomas, was born in Chester on the 3^rd of April 1898.  He would have been eligible for service in the Great War in 1916; however, no record has been found of his ever serving.  John Thomas died in Chester on the 18^th of August 1952.

·         George’s sister, Ethel Mary Thomas, was born in Chester in October of 1884.  No evidence could be found of her marriage or her date of death.

Personal Information

            The following personal information about George Barnes Thomas was obtained from his obituary which had been written presumably by a fellow officer in the Royal Engineers who had served with George.  In his obituary a eulogy made by the chaplain who presided at Thomas’s burial service was presented.  Captain, the Reverend F.G.A. Cook had these words to say:

“It is with a deep sense of loss that we record the passing of Major Thomas.  From the opening of the church, three years ago, until his death, he was a most regular and devoted worshipper.  In the early days of the church Major Thomas was the mainstay.  He never missed an opportunity of commending to others the church and its worship, and it was through his efforts that our own unit church has struggled on to better days.  We recall with gratitude the enthusiastic support he gave to our church choir.  He was greatly loved, not only within our fellowship, but by all who knew him.  His memory will be treasured by many.”

                                    9.  SUMMARY OF SERVICE

            Since Major Thomas died while serving, he never retired from service in the usual manner.  He may have had a number of years of service ahead of him had his heart not given out.  His total service up to the time of his death is reckoned as shown in the tables below: ⁽¹⁾

 TABLE NOTES:

(1)   In the absence of his military records, many of the dates have been estimated.

(2)   These dates assume that he enlisted in the Cheshire Yeomanry on his 17^th birthday and that he was discharged from the yeomanry on the day before his enlistment in the Royal Engineers.

(3)   He enlisted in the Royal Engineers on the 1^st of April 1914 but did not attest for service until the 1^st of July 1914.

(4)   His periods of service also have been estimated.

---

ANNEX A

Establishment for Engineer Services[21]

            The term Establishment for Engineer Services (E.E.S.) or Royal Engineer Works Service had been used for a number of years in the 20^th century to describe the duties of the Royal Engineers in connection with building construction and the use of materials. This establishment dealt with the construction of fortifications, but by and large its greatest responsibility was in the area of the construction and maintenance of barracks. Other works undertaken by the Establishment included hospitals and Army Ordnance buildings. With regard to the latter, the work included not only the buildings themselves, but also the provision and maintenance of fixed machinery and the construction and maintenance of magazines and buildings for the storage of explosives, with special attention to precautions against fire and protection against lightning.

            The E.E.S. was also involved with other buildings in support of the Army Service Corps, to include bakeries, stores, transport sheds and workshops. Special facilities such as refrigeration plants were also provided at Gibraltar and Malta and at other tropical locations. Many other buildings, such as churches, schools, offices, quarters for Commanding Officers and certain Staff Officers, were also provided by the E.E.S. Other essential services of the Establishment included the charge of military cemeteries and burial grounds, the preparation of graves and the appointment and supervision of caretakers.

            In connection with all of the above works, there was an organization within the E.E.S. responsible for the control of "Military Lands." This term included the land on which the barracks and fortifications were constructed, along with roads, parades and recreation grounds. Closely allied to the control of "Military Lands" was the provision of rifle and artillery ranges.

            One of the special branches within the E.E.S. included the Electrical Branch which consisted of Defence Electric Lights, Telegraphs, Telephones, and Miscellaneous Electrical Services. The largest sub-element of the Electrical Branch was the Submarine Mining Service, which was responsible for the mine defences and also for the defence electric lights and electrical communications in the defended ports throughout the British Empire. Other miscellaneous electrical services included barracks lighting and protection of building against lightning.

            A second special branch of the E.E.S. was the Mechanical Branch, with its responsibility for installation and maintenance of engines, boilers and machinery used with pumping and heating plant, and machinery used in Royal Engineer and Ordnance workshops. Other special branches of the Establishment were the Mechanical Transport Branch and the Railway Branch.

ADDENDUM NO. 1: Birth Records

            According to the Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth, BXBY 251595, dated 25 September 1997, George Thomas Barnes was born on 23 December 1892 at 85 Boughton in Chester.  He was the son of Richard Thomas, an auctioneer’s clerk, and Mary Thomas, née Gregory.  His birth was registered in the District of Chester, Sub-District of Chester Castle, in the County Borough at Chester in the County of Chester on 16 January 1893.  The date of birth given on Thomas’s birth certificate is in conflict with the birth date of 15 January 1895 provided by the Assistant Librarian of the Royal Engineers Corps Library and in the September 1929 edition of The Sapper magazine.  The birth certificate must be considered to be the primary evidence of the fact.  The date on the birth certificate would make Thomas 1 year and 23 days older than was originally thought.  His correct date of birth is indicated in Section 2 of the report narrative.  His place of birth is incorrectly stated in Section 2 as Broughton and not Boughton, as shown on the birth certificate.  The building in which he lived as a child in Chester no longer exists.

ADDENDUM NO. 2:  Death Certificate

            According to a Certified Copy of an Entry of Death, SAD 000794, dated 26 September 1997, Major George Barnes Thomas, R.E. died on 6 August 1950 at 26 Am Floot, Hamburg-Alsterdorf, Germany.  The cause of death was listed as coronary occlusion.

ADDENDUM NO. 3:  Royal Engineers Tracer Cards

            Major Thomas’s tracer cards became available in 2021.  Although the cards do not provide as much information as would be found in his full service papers, they do add much to his story in the form of dates and places.  The information contained on the cards has been summarized below.

Card 1

No. 1853125 with his previous Regimental Number 26665

Name: Thomas, Geo. Barnes

Enlistment Date: 1.7.14

Period of Engagement: 21 years

Corps Trade: Clerk

Registration Office: County of Chester

Parliamentary Constituency: City of Chester

Rendered Non-Effective by: - Commissioned           17.9.39

Card 2

Promotion (Rank and Date)

Engineer Clerk Sergeant: 2.10.19⁽¹⁾

Engineer Clerk Staff Sergeant: 2.10.22⁽¹⁾

Engineer Clerk Quartermaster Sergeant: 2.10.25

W.O. I Superintending Clerk: 1.4.34

Unit (Description and Date)

Staff of the Chief Engineer, 9 Corps, B.E.F.: 9.7.16⁽²⁾

Staff of the Chief Engineer 3 Corps, B.E.F.:             20.8.18⁽²⁾

Staff of the Commander Royal Engineers, G.H.Q. Troops: 28.11.19⁽³⁾  

Staff of the Commander Royal Engineers, British Army of the Rhine: 8.4.20⁽³⁾

Staff of the Chief Engineer Western Command, Chester: 30.8.24⁽⁴⁾

Embarked for Aden: 1.10.27

Staff of the Chief Engineer Western Command, Chester: 12.10.28

South Irish Coast Defences, Spike Island: 31.10.31⁽⁵⁾

Staff of the Commander Royal Engineers, West Riding Area, York: 30.4.34

On Appointment to a Commission: 17.9.39

TRACE CARD NOTES:

(1)   Provides information not previously known (Re: Table in Section 5 of the narrative)

(2)   Provides information regarding his postings during the Great War.

(3)   Provides information not previously known regarding his postings immediately following the Great War.

(4)   Provides information regarding his posting in Chester during the period from 1924 to 1927.

(5)   Indicates specifically that he was posted to Spike Island.    

REFERENCES  

Army Lists  

1. The Monthly Army List, April 1914.
   
2. The Monthly Army List, October 1935, p. 904b.
   
3. The Monthly Army List, April 1938, p. 904a.
   
4. The Monthly Army List, August 1949, p. 604b.

Books  

1. ADDISON, G.H.  The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War, 1914-1918. MISCELLANEOUS.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1926, pp. 28-29.

2.      BAKER BROWN, W. The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers. Volume IV. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1952, pp. 245-262.

3.      GRIERSON, J.M.  Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War.  Greenhill Books, London, 1988, p. 24.

Census  

1. 1901 Census of England, Chester, Cheshire (RG 13/3368).

2. 1911 Census of England and Wales.

Civil Documents  

1. Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth, General Register Office, BXBY 251595, dated 25 September 1997, re: George Barnes.

2. Certified Copy of an Entry of Death, General Register Office, SAD 000794, dated 26 September 1997, re: George Barnes.  (Certified extract from the Register of Deaths of the BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE).

Correspondence  

1. NORRIS. E.D.  Assistant Librarian, Royal Engineers Corps Library, Letter to M. Gray, 10 April 1985.

2. NORRIS. E.D.  Assistant Librarian, Royal Engineers Corps Library, Letter to M. Gray, 7 May 1985.

Family Trees  

1. George Barnes Thomas (fredparkings_1), Ancestry.com
2. Richard Thomas (fredparkins_1), Ancestry.com

Internet Web Sites  

1. British Forces Aden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Forces_Aden
2. Cheshire Yeomanry: The Long, Long Trail.  http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-yeomanry-regiments-of-1914-1918/cheshire-yeomanry-earl-of-chesters/
3. Camden Fort Meagher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_Fort_Meagher
4. London District (British Army): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_District_(British_Army)
5. Occupation of the Rhineland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Rhineland#British_Army_of_the_Rhine
6. Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Antediluvian_Order_of_Buffaloes
7. Service Papers of Charles Ellis Thomas: https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1219&h=1957117&tid=&pid=&queryId=a8a9fb80e0f4ff1234333cc0793bd1d9&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iWN3753&_phstart=successSource

London and Edinburgh Gazettes  

1. Supplement to the London Gazette, 3 June 1919, pp. 6865 and 6879.
2. Supplement to the Edinburgh Gazette, 5 June 1919, pp. 1899 and 1913.
3. Supplement to the London Gazette, 19 September 1939, p. 6404.
4. Supplement to the London Gazette, 18 September 1945, p. 4615.
5. Supplement to the London Gazette, 22 April 1947, p. 1763.

Medal Index Card and Medal Lists  

1. Medal Index Card, 26665 Acting Warrant Officer Class 2 George B. Thomas, R.E.
2. Medal Index Card, DM12/171175 Private Percy B. Thomas, A.S.C.
3. Medal Index Card 017033 Private Charles E. Thomas, A.O.C.
4. Silver War Badge List, Army Service Corps, 23 January 1918.

Military Documents  

Certificate, Meritorious Service Medal, 26665 Engineer Clerk 2^nd Corporal (Acting Quartermaster Sergeant GEORGE BARNES THOMAS, R.E.  

Passenger Lists  

S.S. Ranpura, Aden to London, 12 October 1928  

Periodicals  

1. The Sapper, July 1919, pp. 180-183.
2. The Sapper, September 1929, p. 52.
3. The Sapper, October 1931, p. 85.
4. The Sapper, July 1934, p. 337.
5. The Sapper, December 1934, p. 476.
6. The Sapper, October 1950, p. 40.

Registers  

1. England and Wales Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915, page 398.

2.      Cheshire, England, Parish Registers, 1538-1909, St. Paul, Chester, Cheshire, 29 January 1893.

Royal Engineers List  

1. The Royal Engineers List, January 1930, p. xxii.
2. The Royal Engineers List, October 1935, p. xxi.
3. The Royal Engineers List, 1942, Active List, p. xixi.

ENDNOTES