Please post a comment if you know anything about this man. Thankyou.
Thomas Oran Herring
Born 1895, Tudhoe.
Private (30170) of the 18th Battalion DLI.
Killed in action 25/07/1916.
John & Jim Grainger have passed on this notice of his death which appeared in local press during the war.
Pte 30170 Thomas Oran Herring 18th Battalion DLI was killed in action on 25th July 1916, he was born at Tudhoe. Lived with his mother at 95 Durham Road, Spennymoor and was a plumber by trade. Goalkeeper for Spennymoor Heroes Football Club for 1915 season and had signed for Spennymoor United before going to war.
Photo available here of the Spennymoor Football Club, and here's a link to their site. See Edward Mitchell, who also played football for Spennymoor.
I'm very grateful to J. Claxton (of Tommy Herring's family) for passing on a great deal of information.
In the 1901 Census of Attwood Terrace, Tudhoe, the Herring family were counted - we can read about Tommy who was aged 6 and his sister Margaret (aged 4). We know from the birth registers that Tommy was born in the first quarter of 1895. Their mother was Margaret A. Herring (27, born in Tudhoe). Their father was William Herring (31), born in Page Bank but by 1901 he was a Leveller at the Coke Ovens. Not much more is known about him.
J. Claxton tells me that the young Margaret Herring died soon after the census was taken in 1901.
A Mrs Herring listed as Hairdresser on Durham Rd, in the 1936 Kelly's Directory. See also photo on the PictureSpennymoor Gallery. The Hairdresser in Spennymoor and the Cafe next-door to it were both run by Herrings: this was Tommy's brother, Teddy Herring & his wife.
The Herring family are lucky in that several pages of Tommy's military records remain available in the archives. They have been slightly singed in the wartime fires, but are still readable. They confirm that Tommy was a plumber to trade before the war.
Tommy was killed while on attachment to 1/6th West Yorkshire Regiment at Authille Wood near Pozieres in France but there are no real details available.
J. Claxton has visited the site of the Loos Memorial & Dud Corner Cemetery (where Tommy was remembered on Panel 106 and 107, but not buried there), and his photos are reproduced here.
In County Durham, Tommy is remembered on the Tudhoe Memorial in St David's, but also on the Spennymoor War Memorial. He is also remembered on his mother's grave in Tudhoe cemetery (again, photo courtesy of J. Claxton).
Sadly, no photo of this brave soldier exists. If you know any more about Tommy Herring, do get in touch.
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