Lieutenant LEWIS ROY WORSAM TOMES

Lieutenant
LEWIS ROY WORSAM TOMES
(formerly 1870063 Lance Sergeant)
Royal Engineers

Figure 1. The Crest of the School of Military Engineering at Chatham.
(Image courtesy of Stuart Gase)

The principal reference used in the preparation of this narrative were the Royal Engineers Tracer Cards for Lieutenant Tomes when he served as an enlisted man. Other sources include official registries in the United Kingdom, a number of family trees, The Sapper magazine and The London Gazette. All sources are contained in the REFERENCE section at the end of the narrative and are cited throughout in the ENDNOTES. Where no citation is given for any facts presented in this narrative, the reader should assume that the information was obtained from his tracer cards.

Every effort has been made to accurately portray the life and military service of Lieutenant Tomes, given the information currently available. His full service papers may be available at the Army Personnel Centre in Glasgow; however the APC has been working at a much reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 virus.

This research was prompted by a silver medal that was awarded to Lieutenant Tomes when he was a Sapper undergoing recruit training at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham in 1933. The author purchased the medal in 2007 but nothing was done in the way of research until 2022 when the R.E. Tracer Cards became available through FindMyPast on the internet.

2. FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Lewis Roy Worsam Tomes was the third child of Horace Heans Tomes (1874-1936) and Annie Louise Tomes, née Worsam (1876-?). Lewis was born in Weymouth, Surrey on 15 December 1911. Horace and Annie had two sons before the birth of Lewis. They were Herbert Horace Tomes (1900-1991) and Reginald Maurice Tomes (1907-1994).[1]

When Lewis was three years old the Great War of 1914-1918 broke out. In civil life his father had been a stevedore and on 12 June 1918 Horace Tomes enlisted in the Royal Engineers to serve in the Inland Waterways and Docks (IW&D) division of the Corps. He was 44 years old at the time of his enlistment. Horace Tomes’ service papers[2] indicate that he enlisted at Dorchester for the duration of the war – which only lasted for five more months after he entered the Army. Presumably his civil occupation as a stevedore was the reason that he was permitted to enlist at his age and serve in some capacity in the IW&D. Horace Tomes was released from active service on 18 January 1919 and was transferred to the Class “Z” Army Reserve.[3]

When he enlisted in the Army Horace Tomes indicated that his address was 72 Easton Street in Portland, Dorset.[4] Presumably this was the address where Annie and her three boys were living while Horace was serving.

Lewis Roy Worsam Tomes enlisted in the Royal Engineers on 31 January 1933. He was 21 years and 1 month old when he enlisted. His enlistment was for a period of 4 years with the Colours and 8 years in the Army Reserve. His tracer card shows that his Corps Trade on enlistment was Pioneer (Mason), Class F.E.III and his Army Number was 1870063.[5]

Following the administrative actions involved with his enlistment Tomes was sent off for his recruit training. He was posted to 161 Party in “B” Company of the Royal Engineers Training Battalion (RETB) at Chatham, Kent on 1 February 1933. At the time that Tomes began his recruit training the RETB was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William Cave-Brown, DSO, MC, R.E.[6] The battalion Second-In-Command was Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Walter Hayes Oxley, MC, R.E.[7] and the Officer Commanding “B” Company was Captain G.N. Russell.[8]^,[9]

With the exception of Drivers, every recruit enlisted for the Royal Engineers had to have a trade. Pioneers and Sappers were sent to Chatham where they were trained for a year in infantry drill and pioneer duties. During the summer every training company in turn went into a tent-camp at Wouldham near Chatham, where the recruits were taught camp duties, pontooning and other field engineering tasks. The engineer recruits also received musketry training. When the course of training was completed the recruits had to pass an examination and were then transferred to engineer formations, where they received higher pay and could earn extra allowances by working at their special trades.[10]

Tomes excelled at Fieldworks during his recruit training and at the completion of that training he was presented with a silver medal for being the second best man in his party for that subject (see Section 8). After the successful completion of his recruit training, Tomes was remustered as a Sapper and probably retained the Corps Trade of Mason that he was given when he enlisted.

Tomes was posted to the 59^th Field Company, Royal Engineers on 27 November 1933. This company was located at Canterbury and was part of the 4^th Division in the Eastern Command. The company was commanded by Major Ernest Alfred Robinson, MC.[11] Other officers in the company were Captain Percy Fitzgerald Foley, R.E.,[12] Lieutenant D.M. Eley, R.E.[13] and Lieutenant John Herbert Gillington, R.E.[14]

Figure 4. Captain Percy Fitzgerald Foley, R.E.
(Photograph courtesy of The Sapper magazine)

During his time with the 59^th Field Company Tomes took part in division and brigade training exercises with the company, trade training and musketry exercises on an annual basis.

Sapper Tomes was posted to Headquarters Wing of the Royal Engineers Training Battalion at Chatham on 6 April 1935. He may have performed some administrative duties there, but only for a short time. The battalion was then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Oxley and the Second-In-Command was Major H.A. Baker, MC, R.E.[15] There was only one other officer in Headquarters Wing at that time: Captain Basil Charles Davey, R.E.[16]

Figure 5. Major General Basil Charles Davey, CB, CBE, LoM (U.S.).
(Photograph courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery)

On 12 August Tomes was posted to “C” Company of the battalion commanded by Captain H.C.T. Faithfull, R.E.[17] While in “C” Company he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. On 4 May 1936 Lance Corporal Tomes was posted to the newly-formed “D” Company of the training battalion. Up to this point the battalion only had three training companies. An increase in training requirements produced the need for a fourth company and Tomes appears to have had the necessary skills and experience to join this new company.

On 3 October 1937 Tomes was promoted to the rank of Corporal and in March 1938 he requested and was given permission to continue his service beyond 21 years. This was quickly followed, on 23 April 1938, by his appointment to the temporary rank of Lance Sergeant. It appears that while serving in the training battalion at the School of Military Engineering, Tomes performance of duty was such that it impressed his senior commanders. This was further demonstrated on 1 December 1938 by his promotion to the substantive rank of Lance Sergeant.

Another indication of his excellent conduct and soldierly skills is the fact that after only five years of service he was approved to continue his service beyond 21 years. Permission to do so normally was reserved for senior Non-Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers. For a Corporal to receive such permission indicated that he was recognized as a competent soldier with much to offer the Army and the Corps of Royal Engineers.

Lance Sergeant Tomes was posted to the 39^th Fortress Company in Sierra Leone, West Africa on 13 April 1938. The company was involved with improving the harbour defence facilities at Freetown. The work included the construction of gun mounts, ammunition magazines, pump chambers, officers’ and men’s quarters, a workshop, a power station with two 120 kilowatt engines, a plotting room, and roads and water supply facilities within the artillery battery area. The majority of the construction consisted of structures with 3-foot thick reinforced concrete walls and 7-foot 6-inch thick concrete roofs, completely underground and covered with 3 feet of reinforced concrete and a 3-foot sand cushion on either side of the structures.[18] It was obvious that Great Britain was preparing Freetown for a potential attack from the sea, undoubtedly from the Germans. Actually, the British prepared Freetown for war as early as 1938, with comprehensive militarization taking place the next year. Freetown, the capital of the British West-African colony of Sierra Leone, was central to the Allies’ strategy during World War 2. It served as a convoy station with up to 200 cargo and military vessels moving in and out of is well-protected harbour at the height of wartime activities. In 1939 Great Britain introduced a general militarization of the city and the United States built installations and stationed officers and troops there. Staff Sergeant Osterloh was part of this militarization.

Tomes served there until 13 January 1940 when he was posted home to the U.K, arriving there on 24 February 1940 where he joined the 584^th (Suffolk) Army Field Company. At this point his Royal Engineers Tracer Cards provide somewhat confused information and contain errors with regards to the dates of his postings. The author has tried to make some sense of the entries, but there are a number of areas where errors may have occurred, especially in the next two sections regarding his postings to Kent, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

In May 1940 it had been decided to transfer responsibility for anti-aircraft searchlight duties to the Royal Artillery and a few of the Suffolk Fortress Engineers units transferred to the RA. The rest of the unit became the 584th (Suffolk) Army Field Company, RE, at Milton Barracks, Gravesend, Kent. In September 1940 the Kent Fortress Royal Engineers was organised with the 582^ndand the 583^rd Army Field Companies and was joined by the 584^th Army Field Company (from the Suffolk Fortress Engineers) along with the 297^th Field Park Company (a London RE unit) to form the Kent Corps Troops Royal Engineers (CTRE). After helping with the construction of coastal defences against the anticipated German invasion, and clearing up and making safe bomb damage in London, the new unit was moved to a camp near Portadown, Northern Ireland as III (Kent) CTRE. The time was spent on training exercises and assisting in Belfast after the city had been bombed.

The War Diary of 584 Army Field Company for the month of October 1941 was found on the internet. It provides interesting information regarding the officers of the company, the company’s location and its training activities during the month. The following is a copy of the entries made in the diary:

Month and Year October 1941 Unit 584 Army Field Co. R.E. Commanding Officer Major T.F. GOODWIN, D.S.O. R.E.
Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Gilford, N. Ireland	1-5	Company engaged on Inglis Bridge Training.
	5	2/Lt. G.R.H. More[19] proceeded on Pay Duties Course.
	6	2 sub-sections from No. 3 Section under Lieut. A.J. Prichard, R.E. to Agivey to build hutted camp.
	6-8	No. 2 Section under 2/Lt. C.B. Broadbent, R.E. detached for Duty as Umpires on exercise “HARVEST.”
	7	No. 2 Section started repairs to roads, hedges, etc after exercise “HARVEST.”
	11	2/Lt. G.R.H. More returned from Pay Duties Course.
	12-25	1 Officer & 19 O.R.’s ex 15 South Staffs P.C. attached for training in elementary Fieldworks.
	14	Company visited by C.E.
	16	2/Lt. C.B. Broadbent, R.E. proceeded on leave.
	20	38 A. Field Co. R.E. commenced bridging training in this Camp.
	21	Company visited by C.E.
	25	2/Lt. C.B. Broadbent, R.E. returned from leave. Agivey detachment less 16 O.R.’s returned to Camp.
	26	Lieut. R.C. Stein proceeded on Junior Leaders Course.
	27	Lieut. A.J. Prichard posted to 671 Gen. Const. Co. R.E.
	28	Capt. R.F. Evans[20] returned from Field Engineering Course.
	30	Capt. R.F. Evans posted to 5 Division Authority C.E. 3 Corps. All Officers to Demonstration of Mechanical Equipment at Long Kesh Aerodrome.
	31	Lieut. R. Meyler ceased to be attached to this Unit: Authority C.R.E. 3(K)C.T.E. Lieut. Rennie R.E.[21] posted to this Company Authority C.R.E. 3(K)C.T.E.
Goodwin Major, R.E. O.C. 584 Army Field Co. R.E.

The 8th (Nottinghamshire) Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters was mobilised in the 148^th Infantry Brigade alongside the 1/5^th Battalion on the outbreak of war, and was attached to the 49^th (West Riding) Division. It fought in Norway in 1940, and then served as a garrison in Scotland and Northern Ireland. On 25 July 1942, the brigade was reorganized as a Training brigade. On 15 December 1942 Lance Sergeant Tomes was attached to the 8^th Battalion. The following day he was posted to the 148^th Infantry Brigade, which was serving as an Officer Candidate Training Unit. On 22 January 1943 Tomes transferred to 165 Officer Candidate Training Unit in preparation for receiving a commission. He successfully completed the training and on 5 March 1943 he was discharged from the Royal Engineers upon commissioning.

Lewis Roy Worsam Tomes was granted a Regular Army Emergency Commission as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, Army Number 265373, on 6 March 1943. It appears that he served during the Second World War, although his duties and place of service have not been determined. Sometime between the date of his commissioning and August of 1948 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. It appears that he may have served into 1948 based on an entry found in the London Gazette dated 24 August 1948, page 4675. The entry was as follows:

“The undermentioned War Subs. Lts relinquish their commns – L R W Tomes (265373) on account of disability, 25^th Aug 1948, and is granted the hon rank of Capt.”

From this notice it appears that Tomes was suffering from a serious illness or injury that precluded him serving beyond 25 August 1948. The notice actually was listed in the London Gazette after he had died. Lewis Roy Worsam Tomes died at The Royal Hospital in Woolwich, London on 17 August 1948, seven days prior to the publication of the above notice. On 1 October 1948 the London Gazette (page 5234) published a correction to the 24 August notification stating that:

“The notifn Regarding War Subs. Lt. L.R.W. Tomes (dec’d) (265573) [sic] in Gazette (Supplement) dated 24^th Aug. 1948 is cancelled.”

His Army Number was incorrectly printed in the October 1948 issue of the Gazette. It also is not known whether he was granted the honorary rank of Captain upon his death.

Tomes was 36 years of age when he died. His home residence is listed in the 1948 Probate Calendar as 48a High Street in Wimbledon, London.[22] The probate of his will took place in London on 28 November 1948 with all his effects going to his wife, Agnes Marie Tomes. His effects amounted to £695-0s-7d, about $37,800 US in 2022 currency.

Promotions: Tomes received the following promotions during his time in service:

Date of Promotion or Appointment	Rank or Position
31 January 1933	Enlisted as a Pioneer in the Royal Engineers.
26 November 1933	Remustered as a Sapper upon completion of recruit training.
6 January 1936	Promoted Lance Corporal.
3 October 1937	Promoted Corporal.
23 April 1938	Appointed Temporary Lance Sergeant.
1 December 1938	Promoted Lance Sergeant.
6 March 1943	Commissioned War Substantive 2^nd Lieutenant, Royal Engineers.
About 1945	Promoted War Substantive Lieutenant, Royal Engineers.

Appointments: Tomes received the following appointments during his time in service:

(1) Recruit training at the School of Military Engineering: 1 February 1933 to 26 November 1933.

Qualified as a Mason upon enlisting in the Royal Engineers, probably as the result of his civil occupation before enlistment.

Figure 7, 8 and 9 are from the author’s collection. Tomes’ medal is hallmarked Sterling Silver. The obverse of the medal shows the Royal Engineers 9-flame grenade with the motto “UBIQUE”[23] immediately under the grenade and a scroll bearing the word “QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT.”[24] Below the grenade and scroll are the words ROYAL ENGINEERS and above the grenade are the words TRAINING BATTALION.

On the reverse of the medal, within a scroll of Laurel Leaves is the engraved presentation to Tomes. It reads as follows:

Since Lieutenant Tomes served during the years of World War 2 he probably was awarded some medals for that conflict. These are not shown on his tracer cards. If his service papers ever are acquired by the author, this section as well as other sections of this report, can be expanded.

Lieutenant Tomes was released from service as a result of his death on 17 August 1948. His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below:

Location	Period of Service
Chatham	31 January 1933 – 26 November 1933
Canterbury	27 November 1933 – 5 April 1935
Chatham	6 April 1935 – 12 April 1938
Sierra Leone	13 April 1938 – 12 January 1940
Kent/Northern Ireland	13 January 1940 – 14 December 1942
Scotland/Northern Ireland	15 December 1942 – 21 January 1943
Nottingham	22 January 1943 – 17 August 1984
Location	Period of Service
Home Service	13 years, 9 months and 18 days
Service Abroad	1 year and 9 months
Total Service (Active)	15 years, 6 months and 18 days

The only indication that Tomes was married was found in the 1948 Probate Calendar where the heir to his estate is listed as Agnes Marie Tomes. Her maiden name could not be found, nor could the date and place of their marriage be found. The available family trees that include Tomes lists his spouse as “Unknown.” A search for her under her married name yielded negative results. No information regarding any children that they might have had could be found.

Lewis’ father, Horace Heans Tomes, was born in Pimlico, London in October 1874. His mother, Annie Louise Worsam also was born in Pimlico in July 1876. Horace and Annie were married in St. George’s Church in Hanover Square, London in July 1899.

Horace’s service in the Great War has been described previously in this research work. Horace Heans Tomes died in Weymouth, Dorset about November 1936. Annie’s date and place of death are unknown.

Lewis’ eldest brother, Herbert Horace Tomes was born in Pimlico on 13 July 1900. No information regarding a marriage was found during this research. He would have been 18 years of age in July of 1918 and therefore eligible for military service for at least four months prior to the end of the war; however, no evidence could be found to indicate that he served during or after the war. Herbert died in Southampton, Hampshire in January 1991.

Ronald Maurice Tomes was born in Wimbledon, Surrey on 10 April 1907. He was too young to serve in the Great War and no evidence could be found that he joined any branch of the Armed Forces during his life time. No information of his being married could be found. He died in Poole, Dorset in March 1994.

Both of Lewis’ brothers lived to well into their 80s, unlike Lewis who died at the early age of 36 from causes not yet determined by the author.

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

[1] Tomes family trees from Ancestry.com.

[2] His service papers are in the burnt records section of The National Archives. Fragments of his papers are available on Ancestry.com, but the amount of information available from them is very limited due to their poor condition.

[3] A search was conducted on Ancestry.com for Horace Tomes’ Medal Index Card. Unfortunately a card could not be found. It is possible that he was not awarded any medals for his service.

[4] Modern residential structures now exist at this address.

[5] Royal Engineers Tracer Cards.

[6] Later, Major General.

[7] Later, Major General. Deceased, 28 January 1978.

[8] Later Major General. Deceased, 21 August 1971.

[9] The Royal Engineers Quarterly List, January 1933, p. xxi.

[10] GRIERSON.

[11] Major Robinson had served in the Great War of 1914-1918 as a Sergeant, Regimental Number 44667.

[12] Later Brigadier, CBE. Deceased, 1974.

[13] Later Colonel. Deceased, 23 May 1985.

[14] Later Colonel. Deceased 20 April 1970.

[15] Later Brigadier, OBE, MC.

[16] Later Major General, CB, CBE, LoM (U.S.). Deceased 20 November 1959.

[17] Later Colonel, MBE.

[18] Handwritten record of service.

[19] Later Captain Gerald Robert Hermann.

[20] Later Lieutenant Colonel Richard Farrington Evans. Deceased, 24 August 1988.

[21] J.A. Rennie.

[22] This address is now a commercial area in Wimbledon with shops on the ground floor and flats above.

[23] Latin for ‘EVERYWHERE.”

[24] Latin for “WHERE RIGHT AND GLORY LEAD.”

Date of Appointment	Position
31 January 1933	Mason, Class F.E.III


Figure 2. Major General William Cave-Browne, CBE, DSO, MC. (Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)	Figure 3. Major General Walter Hayes Oxley, CB, CBE, MC. (Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

2. FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Date of Promotion or Appointment

Date of Appointment

Location

Location

Total Service (Active)