John Hutchinson Tomlinson
John Hutchinson Tomlinson was born in Hanley between January and early February 1898 to William James and Ellen Tomlinson. William was born in Derby and Ellen in Burslem and he had 5 brothers and sisters.
He was christened in the Staffordshire village of Hope on 6th February 1898. According to the 1901 Census, the family were living at 113 Oxford Road in May Bank and William was employed as a painter compositor. By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 1 Catherine Street, May Bank, William was now a letterpress printer (deputy overseer), for a newspaper (the Sentinel?) and John was an apprentice at Twyfords in Cliffe Vale.
He enlisted with the North Staffords in September 1914, when only 16 years old, and was transferred to the Royal Fusiliers in that December. He served as Private John Hutchinson Tomlinson, 10541 20th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). He fought, and was wounded during the Battle of Loos in September and October 1915, by a shell explosion. 1 He died of wounds received on the 6th November 1916 aged 18. 2
The Staffordshire Weekly Sentinel Saturday 25th November 1916
Died of Wounds
Official information has been received by Mr. And Mrs. W. J. Tomlinson, 1 Catherine Street, May Bank, Wolstanton, of the death of their son, Pte. John H. Tomlinson, Royal Fusiliers, from wounds received in action. Pte. Tomlinson enlisted in the North Staffords in September 1914, and transferred to the Royal Fusiliers in December of the same year. He went to the front with his battalion in August 1915 and was through the Battle of Loos the following month. Shortly afterwards, he was sent to the base suffering from injuries received in a shell explosion, and had seen much fighting since. Previous to the war Pte. Tomlinson was employed at Messers. Twyford’s, Cliffe Vale, Hanley. He was 18 years of age.
John Tomlinson was awarded the 1914 – 15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal. He is buried and commemorated at the Grove Town Cemetery, Meaulte, France, on the Wolstanton Methodist Church Memorial, on the Wolstanton War Memorial and on our Memorial.
Link to his CWGC commemoration.
John Tomlinson’s Grave at the Grove Town Cemetery. 3
The Wolstanton Memorial
- Call to War. The Story of the Men on the Wolstanton War Memorial Who Fell in the First World War by Geoff Mayer ↩
- Call to War. The Story of the Men on the Wolstanton War Memorial Who Fell in the First World War by Geoff Mayer ↩
- Grave photo courtesy of The War Graves Photographic Project ↩