Coates Thomas

Coates, Thomas

		Source
		CWGC	SDGW	Uttoxeter Advertiser	Other
Parents	William and Fanny Coates of Uttoxeter	Yes
Parents	William Coates				8h
Where born	Uttoxeter, Staffordshire		Yes	Yes	8h
When born	About 1879
Address	Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter			9b 9c	6b
	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter				6a, 6e, 6f, 6h, 6j, 8h
	Uttoxeter, Staffordshire	Yes	Yes
Spouse
Children
Employment Before Joining up	Moulding shop at Messrs. Bamfords			9b
	1911: Labourer, Foundry				8h
	Moulder				6a
Where enlisted	Lichfield, Staffordshire		Yes
Regiment	North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales’s)
Battalion	8th Bn	Yes			6c 8d 8e
	9th Bn		Yes
	“D” Company				6c
Rank	Private	Yes	Yes	9a 9b 9c	5, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6j, 7
Service Number	22389			9c	5, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6g, 6i, 6j
Date of Death	1 August 1917	Yes	Yes	9a 9b 9c	6c
Age at time of death	38	Yes			4 6a 6b
Where Killed or died	Pas de Calais
	11 General Hospital, Comiers, France				6c
	France/Flanderd		Yes	91 9c
How he died	Died or Wounds		Yes	9a 9b 9c	6c
How he died	Died of Wounds - arms,legs and abdomen			9b
Location of Grave or Memorial	Etaples Military Cemetery Grave XXII. N. 25A.	Yes			4
Awards	Victory Medal F/104B8 Page 790				5
Awards	British Medal F/104B8 Page 790				5

Photograph with kind permission from the Uttoxeter Advertiser

Thomas was a native of Uttoxeter and born to William and Fanny Coates, also of Uttoxeter.

In adult life he lived with his sister, Betsy6j, and brother, Henry6j, at 27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter6j. Unfortunately neither the street nor the houses in it survive, so we cannot visit the site and include a meaningful photograph here.

Census records and a statement of the names and addresses of all relatives living at the time of his death6j allows us to reconstruct the family as follows:

Relationship to Thomas	Name	Age in 1919	Age in 1911	Occupation	Where Born	Where Living (1911)
Father	William Coates		58	Bricklayer	Uttoxeter, Staffordshire8h	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter8h
Brother	Henry Coates	42	35	Labourer Foundry	Uttoxeter, Staffordshire8h	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter8h
	THOMAS COATES			Labourer Foundry	Uttoxeter, Staffordshire8h	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter8h
Sister	Betsy Coates	30	20	House keeper	Uttoxeter, Staffordshire8h	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter8h
Sister	Emma Stamly	28				98 Heathcotes Road, Longton, Staffordshire6j
Niece8h (presumably Henry’s daughter, as Henry was a widower) 8h	Clarry Coates		10	School	Scropton, Derbyshire	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter8h
Nephew8h (presumably Henry’s son, as Henry was a widower) 8h	Joseph Coates		12	School	Tutbury, Staffordshire	27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter8h

Neither of his parents was alive at the time of his death6j.

At the time of enlistment Thomas worked in as a moulder in the foundry at the Leighton Ironworks in Uttoxeter, where agricultural machinery was manufactured.

Some of the original buildings of the Leighton Ironworks. These will have been familiar to the Thomas.

Before the war Thomas as a Reservist6a and he was called up for service at 36 years old6a, 6b on the 6th of April 19166k. He signed-up at Lichfield and served as a Private, number 22389, in ‘D’ Company of the 8th Battalion of The North Staffordshire Regiment.

Thomas was not a big man; he was just 5 ft 4 inches tall6b and his chest measurement was 36 inches6b.

At the time of his enlistment he was single6a and gave his next of kin as his sister, Miss B. Coates6b.

He was posted to the North Staffordshire Regiment on 10th of April 19166k and joined the British Expeditionary Force on the 19th of July 19166k. This was during the early stages of the battle of the Somme..

In January 1917 he injured his knee and a report was filled out6d stating that the injury had been sustained while on duty but not in action, He had been admitted to hospital with synovitis in his left knee and the disability was classed as “trivial”. Anyone who has experienced the pain of synovitis would take issue with that assessment! The official report said that it would not, in all probability, interfere with his future efficiency as a soldier.

He returned to his unit on about the 30th of January 19176d and his knee mush have continued to give him trouble because on the 7th of March the following was recorded by his Commanding Officer in the Field6d:

This man returned from Hospital about 30.1.17 with an injured knee. I am unable to state where and how he obtained it.

Thomas died of wounds6c on the 1st of August 19176c at the U.S.A. base hospital in France, having been wounded only the day before9a, 9b. The Field Service Report6c shows that this was the 11 General Hospital at Comiers in France.

News of his death was brought by a letter from Nurse H. Peterson to Thomas’s sister. The Uttoxeter Advertiser quoted an extract from the letter as follows9b:

“He was admitted to hospital July 31, suffering from multiple wounds in arms, legs and abdomen. He was operated upon at once, as his condition was very serious, but he had very little chance. He passed away this morning (August 1) at 10.10, apparently with very little suffering. Accept my deepest sympathy in your sorrow.”

He had been in France for about twelve months9b.

On the 11th August 1917 Betsy was granted a separation allowance for six months6f, 6g.

Two months later, on 30th November 1917, a letter6e was sent from the War Office to the Officer in charge of Infantry No. 2 Records in Lichfield, stating that any articles of personal property should be sent to Miss Betsy Coates at 27 Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter. Any medals were to be sent to Mr. Henry Coates at the same address.

This was followed in December 1917 with a letter6h enclosing a number of items of property. Betsy returned the acknowledgement slip on the 18th of December6h.

It is difficult to read the list of items, but it appears to include the following6h:

 Pipe
 Razor
 Cards
 Letters
 Set of Dentures

Thomas was buried in Grave XXII. N. 25A. in Etaples Military Cemetery3.

Alan (joint author) at Thomas’s graveside

The dedication the base of his headstone reads:

For us and all

He did his best.

God grant him

Thine eternal rest

Thomas was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

COATES. – In Affectionate Remembrance of Pte. T. Coates (22389, North Staffs Regiment), of Spiceal Street, Uttoxeter, who died of wounds in France, August 1, 1917.

Days of sadness still come o’er us,

Hidden tears oft-times do flow,

For memory keeps our dear one near us

Although he died one year ago.

From his loving Brother, Sisters, Niece and Nephew (in France)

This notice was posted in the Uttoxeter Advertiser by his family in July 19189c to mark the first anniversary of his death