LOCAL HERO, THOMAS SAVAGE OF ALMA HILL, KIMBERLEY.

 Thomas Savage was born in Kimberley in 1899 and lived with his family at 30 Alma Hill . Thomas served with the Sherwood Foresters and would go on to be awarded the decoration of, The Military Medal, for bravery in the field. 


Thomas lived on Alma Hill with his father Joseph, his mother Sarah, his brother Joseph, and his sister Daisy. 

Thomas joined up to serve in the Great war in 1916 at the age of 17 as a Private. Attested 19-6-1916, and sent to the Army Reserve, 20-6-1916.  with the service number, 46436, serving with the 4th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters. This unit took part in manning coastal defences along the Sunderland coast. 

Given the new service number of 116436,  he was transferred to the 10th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters which mobilized 22-4-1918 for service on the Western Front. The final months of the war saw some of the most fierce fighting of the whole conflict. The 10th Battalion saw action around Arras in 1918. On September 18th they took part in the Battle of Gauche Wood. On the 20th October they crossed the Selle river in an attack. 

Thomas was Gazetted as being awarded the Military Medal, 6-19-1919. The circumstances of his award, and the action it was awarded for have proved to be  a bit of mystery. Sadly, the War Department office where all of the citations for the awarding of the Military Medal was bombed and destroyed in the WW2 blitz.  It is certain that the award and action took place very late in the war, towards the end. It is not even recorded in the Battalions war history written by Lieut. W.N. Hoyte. The subject has been discussed with Author and historian, John Morse who wrote the book covering the history of the 9th Battalion. In his best educated guess, the award to Thomas was probably made in either the September, or October battles which the 10th Batt took part in. Other historians have gone through the local Newspapers which at the time would often print the citations of the local heroes, but so far, nothing has emerged for Thomas. 

At the war's end, Thomas decided rather than  go home, he would join the Labour Corps, 13-11-1918, just two days after the war's end. There was a significant amount of work to do to end a war, clean up, pack up, and return an army home. It is likely that Thomas decided that well paid work doing this was a good idea.Given the new service number 385699, he was part of the 185 Labour Corps. He demobilized in 1919 and returned home. He died in Nottingham in March 1963 at the age of 64. 

One other possible local connection, the awarding of  the Military Medal to Thomas. The awarding of the Military Medal after the war had finished was done locally by notable public figures in local locations, for Nottingham soldiers, this was in the market square. Sir Lancelt Rolleston performed this duty many times in 1919 -1920. Did Sir Lancelot pin the Military Medal to the chest of Thomas Savage - possibly ! 





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