BriansBash: A WW1 Personal Family Tribute for 3756 L/Cpl Tom Turnbull. London Post Office Rifles

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
(Lieut Colonel John McRae, Poet)

I have started writing this tribute, 100 years to the day that World War 1 was declared. In recent years my wife Lyn and I have spent many hours researching our Family members who served in this "War to End all Wars" and over the past months we both have agreed that our knowledge of this conflict has not only been a time of reflection, but also a time of admiration for these relatives who interrupted their normal lives to travel overseas, some as volunteers and some as conscripts.

Of course there were exceptions to serving overseas. One of my New Zealand Grandfathers was relegated as "unfit" owing to his age and the fact that the family had seven young children to care for!

Post Office Uniform

My main interest at this stage revolves around 4x Family members that I have researched.
Tom Turnbull from Selkirk and his brother Peter Turnbull also from Selkirk, who both gave their lives, Andrew O'Brien (aka Bishop as he was adopted out as a child) and my Grandfather, Edmund Joseph Ramsey (aka Ramsbottom) who both survived and returned home.

My 1st chosen Family Member is Thomas George Turnbull from Selkirk in Scotland. Tom, was the youngest Son of Richard and Sophia Turnbull (Binnie) Tom was born in 1894 and the family included older siblings William (b.1887), Jane Hogg Binnie (b1879) Richard (b1886) Peter (b1884) and Mary Stoddart Turnbull (My Grandmother b 1896) who was the youngest.

The Family had a number of addresses in Selkirk including Fuschia Cottage Tower Street in 1881, 4a Bleachfield Rd, 12 Dunsdale Haugh in 1901 and at 48 Ettrick Terrace in 1914.

London Regt. Badge

Tom left home and joined the Post Office and in 1915 along with other Postal workers he was recruited into the Territorial Force under its new title '8th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles).

His Army number was 3756 and his date of enlistment was 6th February 1915 into 1st /8th Btn Post Office Rifles where he rose to the rank of Lance Corporal. The 1st Battalion embarked from Southampton on 17 March 1915 and after a period of training and acclimatisation, entered the trenches to fight in the battle for Festubert on 11 May that year.

The regiment saw further action at Loos in the same year and in 1916, POR battalions were involved in some of the worst carnage of the war at the Battle of the Somme. For their part, the PORs entered the hostilities late in the battle (October) but still sustained forty dead, 160 wounded and some 200 missing.

I have a booklet that I purchased from the UK recently and it gives an outline of that particular day. It was during this period on Saturday 7th October, Tom was killed at the battle for the BUTTE De WARLENCOURT..... The official records state "The Battalion made a somewhat disasterous attack on the Butte De Warlencourt, a mound that bristled with un-suspected machine guns. Two companies were completely wiped out, only seven men returning. On the 9th October the remnants were removed to Albert and from there to Ypres". Tom's body was never found.

The Post Office Rifles received 145 awards for gallantry including one Victoria Cross for Sgt. A.J. Knight.

At this stage of my research I don't know all the details of Tom's involvement before this battle, however it is apparent that his Regiment was totally involved in a number of major battles immediatley prior to The Butte de Warlencourt, including LOOS and VIMY RIDGE

CWGC Memorial

Tom is remembered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commision and his name is engraved on the famous Thiepval Memorial, which commemorates the 72,085 men who were killed on the Somme.

There are numerous Post Office Memorials in London and in Scotland and Tom is remembered on these also. (I hope to Visit Theipval in the next year or so to pay my respects to this brave lad.)


Red Spot marks where Tom was killed

The Map on the right, outlines the area where the

battle of the Butte De Warlencourt was fought.

Many of the wounded were taken to the nearby town of

Albert. The red marking highlights the area where

Tom Turnbull was killed.

Thiepval Engraving for L/Cpl Tom Turnbull

This is the plaque from the Thiepval Memorial with Tom's name engraved. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for the upkeep of these Memorials in perpetuity and it
is quite a moving experience to view the Memorials and the surrounding Gardens.

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Further Research on Tom Turnbull

Kirkcaldy Post Office Memorial

During my research on Tom, I came across a number of Memorials to the Fallen in Post Offices throughout Scotland. When I found the Kirkcaldy Memorial with his name I wondered how he was associated with this Post Office, which is situated in the Fife Region, North of Selkirk.

I read that Post Office employess could be transferred to other regions and obviously, Tom was working in the area.

Tom was my Nana's favourite Brother and when an Aunt passed away in 2011, I was given a box of family memorabilia to sort through including a box with letters and cards sent to Mary. In 1912 Tom was working in the Burntilsand area, which is on the coast near the Firth of Forth and this explains his association with Kirkcaldy, which is close by! He wrote to Mary on a couple of Valentines post cards (a popular way of communicating in those days) and these treasures, written in pencil are still legible and in good condition.

A card to Mary

Rear of Card to Mary


To Mary from Tom

8th Btn Regimental Flag

The Recruiting Poster for the London Regiment

8th Btn Regimental Parade

Thank you for visiting my Blog and I invite you to return for a follow-up

blog on other Family members who were involved in World War 1

We are very proud of these Family Heroes and it is my fervent wish that they will never be forgotten.

In this Centenary Year of the beginning of this terrible tragedy it is appropriate to spend a quiet moment of reflection for these young men and women who paid the Ultimate Sacrifice and for those who returned home, forever scarred by the experience.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

LEST WE FORGET.