[Jill]

40th of the St Wilfrid's Haywards Heath Old Boys to die in WW1.

Thomas was born in Newhaven, Sussex in 1898, I have not been able to identify his parents or locate him in 1901 but in 1911 he was in Haywards Heath, the adopted son of Ann Green who was a laundress living with 4 daughters, (also laundresses), another son and a grandchild in Queen’s Road, Haywards Heath. The Greens had previously lived at Rodmell which is just north of Newhaven.

Thomas died at sea off Italy on 4 May 1917 when the ship “Transylvania” that he was being transported on was torpedoed with the loss of over 400 lives. His body was one of those recovered and he was buried at Savona Town Cemetery grave A. 8.

His remaining pay of £1 17s 9d went to his foster mother on 22 December 1917 as did the War Gratuity of £3 on 11th October 1919.