Poppy In memoriam Poppy

Lieutenant Thomas Humphrey Hesketh

 

 

 

Thomas Humphrey Hesketh was born on 19 December 1891 at Llanbleddian Gardens, Cardiff, Wales, the third of seven children of marine superintendent Thomas Hesketh and his wife Elizabeth (née England). At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Thornhill, Llanishen, Glamorgan, with his parents and three of his four surviving siblings.

On 7 November 1914 Hesketh was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the 10th Battalion (1st Rhondda) Welsh Regiment. He later transferred to the regiment's 21st (Reserve) Battalion.

On 23 March 1916 he transferred to the cavalry, joining the 8th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry at the Curragh in Ireland. Later that year he embarked for France, where he was posted to the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment, joining it in the field at Flesselles on 11 August. At the time the regiment was serving as corps cavalry to X Corps. Hesketh was posted to A Squadron – the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron. He was mentioned a number of times in the regimental war diary over the following months:

21 October 1916: "Under orders from HQ 10th Corps, a party of 50 men and one officer Mr Hesketh proceeded to Abeele to take over road control from Canadians."
9 February 1917: "2 Lt Hesketh reported heavy shelling in vicinity of working party."
16 February 1916: "2 Lt Hesketh was in charge of Trench working Party."
17 March 1917: "Usual Trench Digging party under 2 Lt Hesketh."

Soon after this he was invalided home, suffering from shell-shock according to one report.

In April 1917 he announced his engagement to Agna Myfanwy Gamlin, daughter of F.J. Gamlin Esq of Plas Tirion, Rhyl, North Wales. The couple married on 9 May 1918.

Hesketh rejoined his reserve regiment – renamed the 1st Reserve Regiment of Cavalry – and was posted to the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers. He was promoted to lieutenant on 27 August 1917.

After the Armistice, while on leave pending demobilisation, Hesketh fell. He died of scarlet fever and broncho pneumonia at Belvidere Fever Hospital, Glasgow, on 28 January 1919. He was buried at Cathcart Cemetery, Renfrewshire, Scotland. His gravestone inscription reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
MY DARLING HUSBAND
LIEUT. T. HUMPHREY HESKETH
21ST LANCERS
OF WHITCHURCH, CARDIFF
WHO DIED 28TH JAN. 1919, AGED 28

 

The Tatler, 16 May 1917.

 

Three of Hesketh's brothers also served in the war: Stanley Hesketh as a captain in the Welsh Regiment; Robert Roy Hesketh as a lieutenant in the Army Service Corps; and Charles England Hesketh as a fitter in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.

 

Gravestone image kindly provided bySteve Rogers, Project Co-ordinator of the The War Graves Photographic Project. Image of Hesketh sourced from Ancestry.com Public Member Trees – contributor Ollie Moules.

 

This page last updated 22 October 2023.