WW1 Casualty: Private 7263 Thomas Larkin - Private 7263 Thomas Larkin
Prescot Reporter 14/05/1915
| Unit/Regiment |
2nd Bn., South Lancashire Regiment |
| Date of Death |
24/08/1914 |
Age at Death |
38 |
| Burial/Memorial |
La Fert-Sous-Jouarre Memorial |
| CWGC Family Details (if shown) |
Husband of Mary Annie Larkin, of 1, Duke St., Prescot, Lancs. |
| Census Details |
1891 Census -
The Larkin family lived at 11 Mill Street, Prescot and comprised parents Thomas (a Labourer) and Catherine, both aged 34, with children William (15, an Assistant Fireman), Thomas (14, an Assistant Greengrocer), Agnes (5), Joseph (3) and 1 year old Elizabeth.
By the time of the 1901 census, the sons William and Thomas had left home and the family had moved a few doors to Number 15, Mill Street.
William was married to Florence and lived at 4, Ward Street. They had a son, Thomas, aged 1. Also living with them as a lodger was John Creaghan, who also fell in the Great War
Thomas Larkin was serving in South Africa at the time of the 1901 census and cannot be located in the 1911 census. As the 2nd Bn of the South Lancs were i India at that time, it is assumed that Thomas was there with them |
| Birth/Marriage/Death Registrations |
Marriage to Mary Annie Edwards registered in Prescot, Q4/1912, Volume 8b, Page 1255 |
| SDGW - Where Born |
Prescot, Lancs |
| Enlisted |
Liverpool |
| Resided |
Prescot |
| How Died |
Killed in Action |
Theatre of War |
France & Flanders |
| Notes |
Private Larkin was almost certainly the first man from Prescot to die in the Great War. |
| Research Ref. No. |
P177 |
Service DetailsThomas Larkin was born in Prescot in 1877. He was a long serving pre-War Regular soldier. His regimental number of 7263 was issued in 1903.
No details of his pre war service are known, though he it is noted that he married in Prescot in 1912.
The 2nd Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment landed in France on 14th August 1914, just over a week after the outbreak of war. They disembarked at Le Havre with a strength of 27 officers and 980 other ranks, and then travelled by train to Mauberge.
They marched over the next few days through areas of northern France where the civilian population turned out in droves to meet and salute them, ultimately arriving at St Hilaire on the 20th. On the 21st, they again marched off, this time towards the Belgian border, finally arriving at Framieres in the late afternoon of the 22nd. They were then informed that the Germans had occupied Brussels and that the next day they would be moving forward to engage the enemy.
On the morning of the 23rd they marched off and by mid-afternoon they could see shells bursting over Mons some two miles away. Battle was imminent. By 5.30, they were entrenched and ready for action.
Early next morning, the 24th, shortly before 4 a.m., the German infantry in masses and firing from the hip, came straight for the positions occupied by the Battalion, and were met by the defenders with rifle and machine-gun fire.
The battle raged for several hours and over 1,000 German troops were estimated to have been killed. But after several hours of intense fighting against overwhelming odds, the Battalion was forced to retire from their positions covering the Mons-Conde canal to avoid being outflanked. The retreat from Mons had commenced.
By the time the Battalion reached Coyelles on the 29th and was able to regroup, the muster amounted to 14 officers and about 400 men, about half of its original strength.
It is not known for certain how Pte. Larkin met his death, and he has no known grave, being commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre memorial, which commemorates some 4,000 men of the British Expeditionary Force who fell between August and early October 1914, and who have no known grave.
The Register of Soldiers Effects, shown below, reports that his death is presumed to have occurred "on or since" 24th August. It further notes that how widow, Mary Ann, was his next of kin.
As far as can be determined by this research, Thomas Larkin was the first man from Prescot to be killed in the Great War.
Private Larkin's Medal Index Card showing his arrival in France on the 14th August 1914, just 10 days after the declaration of war. As an 'Old Contemptible', he qualified for the 1914 Star in addition to the British War Medal and Victory Medal
Private Larkin's inscription on the La Fert-Sous-Jouarre Memorial
After Pte Larkin's death, his widow advertised for lodgers at their home.
Liverpool Echo, 21st March 1916
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