From the limited information available concerning Thomas Chapman we can identify that he enlisted on the 7th February 1916 and that he served as a Private in the Yorkshire Regiment T.F.. His service number was 266550.

He didn’t serve abroad. He was discharged on the 7th August 1917 and was awarded a Silver War Badge number 315905.

Born in 1875, he died at home on the 11th February 1918 at the age of 43 years. Pension records show that his next-of-kin was Louisa Chapman (nee Rhodes) of 25, George Court, Bradford who he had married on the 10th of November 1916. Two children, Anna Louise Rhodes born 12/10/1913 and Thomas William Rhodes born 3/11/1916 were also noted.

The death certificate for Thomas Chapman, labourer at Iron Foundry, Army pensioner, recorded that he died from (1) Aortic Incompetence. His widow Louisa was present when he died.

Private Thomas Chapman (266550) of the Yorkshire Regiment 5th Bn. who died on the 11th February 1918 is buried in Bowling Cemetery, Bradford, West Yorkshire (Grave Reference X. 412). It is a public grave and his C.W.G.C. headstone is shared with another soldier, Gunner Attwell of the R.F.A.

As the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s ‘Eyes On Hands On’ volunteer with responsibility for Bradford (Bowling) Cemetery I was always interested in the ‘stories’ of the WW1 soldiers whose headstones I looked after. Having been born and brought up in the nearby area, many of the names I came across seemed familiar to my childhood and I was interested to know more about who they were. The C.W.G.C. ‘For Evermore’ online archive gives me the opportunity to share my research into their lives.

We Will Remember Them...

• Ancestry U.K.

• The British Newspaper Archives

• C.W.G.C.

• David Whithorn