Tom Parry 1895-1916

Many thanks to Olwen Hughes for the following information:

Tom was the son of Thomas (Tom) Parry and Mary Jane Parry nee Evans. He started his life at Glascoed Vach Farm, Glascoed. He was the brother of Olwen’s grandfather - William John Parry.

1901 Census Glascoed Vach 

Thomas Parry 47 b Usk

Mary Jane Parry 40 b Llangwm Ucha Mon

James 12 

Ann 11 

William J 9

Celia 8

Thomas 6

Martha E 4 (all born in Glascoed )

By the time of the 1911 census, the family had moved to Clearwell, which was technically in Llanbaddock parish but being oppposite Mount Zion Baptist Chapel, was considered to be Glascoed by the residents.

Clear Well, Llanbadoc, Mon    3 rooms

Tom  Parry Head  59    Married          Farm Labourer    Worker    Parish N.K.  Monmouthshire    English

Mary Jane Parry Wife    50  Married  23  6  6  -          Llandenny  Monmouthshire    English

James  Parry Son  22    Single          General labourer    Worker    Glascoed  Monmouthshire    English

Celia  Parry Daughter    18  Single                  Glascoed  Monmouthshire    English

Tom  Parry Son  16    Single          Cow Man on Farm    Worker    Glascoed  Monmouthshire    English

Martha Evelyn  Parry Daughter    14  Single                  Glascoed  Monmouthshire    English

Tom  joined the Monmouthshire Regiment in the Great War. He sadly died on the first day of a major offensive near Thiepal in Northern France. You can read more details of the military action under the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website - a relevant part of this is reproduced under the section below: “Casualty Details”. His death is commemorated on the village’s War Memorial.

Tom’s body was never identified. 

Here we see the memorial at Thiepval to Tom and his comrades.

Grave/Memorial Reference: Pier and Face 16 B.

Memorial and cemetery: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

Visiting Information: The Panel numbers (or Pier and Face) quoted at the end of each entry relate to the panels dedicated to the Regiment served with. In some instances where a casualty is recorded as attached to another Regiment, his name may alternatively appear within their Regimental Panel (or Pier and Face). Please refer to the on-site Memorial Register Introduction to determine the alternative panel numbers (or Pier and Face) if you do not find the name within the quoted Panels (or Pier and Face).

Location Information: The Thiepval Memorial will be found on the D73, next to the village of Thiepval, off the main Bapaume to Albert road (D929). Each year a major ceremony is held at the memorial on 1 July.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Monmouthshire Regiment

Private Tom Parry 266199

d: 1st July 1916

aged 21 years

Grave memorial reference: pier and face 16B Thiepval

Casualty Details

Name: PARRY, TOM

Initials: T

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Monmouthshire Regiment

Unit Text: 2nd Bn.

Age: 21

Date of Death: 01/07/1916

Service No: 266199

Additional information: Son of Tom and Mary Jane Parry, of Clearwell Cottage, Glascoed, Pontypool, Mon.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Historical Information: On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack to the south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest successes of the first day. However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The Battle of the Somme finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter.

In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared defences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918. The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial. The memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of the President of France, on 1 August 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 16 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until August). The dead of other Commonwealth countries, who died on the Somme and have no known graves, are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.

No. of Identified Casualties: 72090