In memoriam

Lieutenant Thomas Humphrey Hesketh

 

 

 

Thomas Humphrey Hesketh was born in early 1892 at Cardiff, Wales, son of marine superintendent Thomas Hesketh and his wife Elizabeth (nee England).

On the outbreak of war he applied for a commission in one of the new infantry regiments, and on 7 November 1914 he was appointed as a 2nd lieutenant in the 10th Battalion (1st Rhondda) Welsh Regiment. He was later transferred to the regiment's 21st (Service) Battalion.

On 23 March 1916 Hesketh transferred to the cavalry reserve, joining the 8th Reserve Regiment at the Curragh.

From there Hesketh was attached to the North Irish Horse. He was soon sent to France, joining the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment in the field at Flesselles on 11 August 1916. He was posted to the regiment's A Squadron, which was the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron.

The regimental diary make several mentions of Hesketh's role over the following months leading road control and trench digging parties, the last reference being on 17 March 1917.

Soon after that he left the regiment and went home on leave. In April 1917 he announced his engagement to Agna Myfanwy, daughter of F. J. Gamlin Esq of Plas Tirion, Rhyl, North Wales.

Hesketh rejoined his reserve regiment – now called 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, Lieutenant Hesketh became ill. 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

 

 

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