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In memoriam

Private Thomas Wright

 

 

 

Thomas Wright was born in 1894 or 1895 at Pullans, near Coleraine, the fourth of ten children of agricultural labourer William John Wright and his wife Mary (nee McCready).

At the beginning of the war he was working at the Ballyrashane Creamery Company. On 24 May 1915 he travelled to Antrim and enlisted in the North Irish Horse (No.1582). Just six months later he embarked for France with F Squadron.

On 22 July, while working with his squadron clearing the Somme battlefield in Mash Valley, he was severely wounded in the back during a German artillery barrage. He was evacuated to the St John's Ambulance Brigade Hospital at Étaples, but died six days later.

Private Wright's brother, John Small Wright, had been killed in action just four weeks earlier and just a few miles away while attacking with his battalion, the 10th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Thomas Wright is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, grave IX.A.11A. His gravestone inscription reads:

1582 PRIVATE
T. WRIGHT
NORTH IRISH HORSE
28TH JULY 1916

 

 

Gravestone image kindly provided by Martin Harvey. Image of Private Wright and news clipping from the Coleraine Chronicle, August 1916, kindly provided by Nigel Henderson, Researcher at History Hub Ulster (www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com).