Thomas Gregson

Thornton Cleveleys War Memorial 1914-1918 | Index

Thomas Gregson, known as Tom, was born in 1891, the seventh of eight children of James Gregson and his wife Elizabeth Dawson who married in 1877.

Army Service Corps, Grove Park

The children were all born in Preston, like their parents: Thomas Stanislas (born in 1878), Rebecca (1880), Mary (1882), twins Elizabeth and James (1886), James (1887), Tom (1891) and John (1895). Thomas Stanislas and the twins died in infancy and by the time of the 1901 Census James and Elizabeth were living at 25 Cobden Street, Preston with their four surviving children. James was employed as a house painter.

The family was reduced even further by the deaths of James senior in 1904, aged 47, and of Mary in 1910, aged 28 and unmarried. In the Census taken on the night of 2 April 1911, the Gregson family were recorded at 12 Alert Street in the Ashton on Ribble district of Preston. Rebecca had married George Yates the previous year and Tom had become a weaver in the cotton industry. Soon after, however, the family moved to Green Villas, (now 84-86), Fleetwood Road, Thornton and Tom became employed by the United Alkali Company.

The three brothers James, Tom and John all enlisted at Grove Park, London in the Mechanical Transport branch of the Army Service Corps. Only James's service record has survived. We know that in civilian life he had been a motor driver and mechanic and it may well be that his two younger brothers also had previously driving experience as they were sent to France as soon as 10 December 1914. Whilst James and John survived the war, sadly Tom did not. All we know is that he died at No. 4 Casualty Clearing Station from "accidental injuries" on 8 August 1918. He was aged 27 and unmarried.

Pte. Thomas Gregson, M2/020099, 58th Division Mechanical Transport, Royal Army Service Corps is buried in Plot 3, Row C, Grave 17 at Pernois British Cemetery, Halloy-les-Pernois, Somme, France.