The Reeves Brothers in World War One - Thomas

Thomas Fredrick Reeves.

Image courtesy of Neil Painter

Thomas Fredrick Reeves.

Image courtesy of Neil Painter

Thomas Fredrick Reeves was born in 1896, in Fazeley. Later moving to Tamworth and then to Kingsbury, where he worked at Kingsbury Colliery.
On 6th August 1914 in Whittington, Staffordshire, Thomas joined the 3rd North Staffordshire Battalion, a line infantry regiment of the British Army, at the age of 18. By September he was a lance corporal.
As the 3rd North Staffordshire was a reserve battalion, Thomas was posted at different camps around England. Eventually being posted as a Sergeant with the 1st Battalion near Saint-Quentin, France on 15th January 1918.

The German spring offensive, Operation Michael, was launched on 21 March 1918. This virtually wiped out the battalion, killing 681 men in the attack. Thomas survived as a prisoner of war and was sent to Vohrenbach, Germany.
After the war ended, on 3rd January 1919 he was repatriated to Lichfield where he continued in the army. Thomas married Winifred Barnes in Kingsbury and had a daughter in 1925.
In the following years, he served in Ireland and Gibraltar. Being promoted to Colour Sergeant in 1931 and later to Warrant Officer 2nd Class in 1932.
Thomas retired from the army in 1935 after serving for 21 years, then becoming a postman in Stafford. Rejoining the army in 1939, he was mobilized at Lichfield for 12 months before being discharged on health grounds.
He was awarded the Victory Medal 1914-18, the War Medal 1939, the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

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