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Thomas Foskett WALKER (Framlingham College 1900 - 1903) was born on 10th July 1887 at Hoxne. His father was a farmer. He was at the college (lodging in Station Road) at 13 yrs. But by 1911 he was a pupil-farmer working for a Herbert Harvey on Rowhedge Farm, Long Melford. His father died in 1909 and he had had to move around different farms as a pupil farmer, before ending up somewhere near Bawdsey (he enlisted at Alderton, Suffolk) usually boarding.
Thomas Foskett was Private 761888, 1st Battn. Artists' Rifles. The College have his date of death 29th October 1917, when he was killed in action near Ypres, Belgium, aged 30. He is commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium, Panel 153 and on the Framlingham College and Chelmsford War Memorials. The 1st/28th Battn. of the London Regiment (Artists' Rifles) was made up of officer cadets and possibly Thomas belonged to these at Framlingham College, but although there are two Attestation records on line, (original number 7648) in the 1/28th (County of London) Artists' Rifles as a Private, there is then a second one, giving 761888 in the same regiment. Right through the evidence, it appears he did not get sent abroad until leaving in May 1917. He was then transferred from Corps & Battn. but it is unreadable and "joined in the field". His death, killed in action, is recorded on Soldiers' Effects page, appointing his sister Ruth A. Wiseman at Chelmsford (where his mother was also living) giving same rank, regiment and number. After he was reported as "missing presumed killed" at the 2nd battle of Passchendaele (26th-30th October) there is sad letter from his mother, asking for information. She gave his last address as with "C" Company, 11th Platoon, in the 1st/28th Artists' Rifles. So he was in France for five months before his death. His sister later (beneficiary with mother for gratuity etc), has a Probate notice for him at Chelmsford, giving the same rank, number date of death etc., of her brother. Her mother by 1919 had moved to 23 or 28 Jupiter Road (off Woodbridge Road) Ipswich, and she lived till 1958.
The following is a link to Thomas Foskett's page on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website from where you can download his Commemorative Certificate.
Around the eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery near the town of Ieper in Belgium stands the Tyne Cot Memorial. It bears the names of some 35,000 men of the British and New Zealand forces who have no known grave, nearly all of whom died between August 1917 and November 1918. This area on the Western Front was the scene of the Third Battle of Ypres. Also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, it was one of the major battles of the First World War.
A second link is to Thomas Foskett's listing by the Old Framlinghamians (pdf format).
With grateful thanks to Mrs Evelyn Empson of Framlingham who supplied much of this information.
David Clough and Richard Ginn
Auust 2018