Thomas Mackenzie 2nd left at back. WW1

Thomas WW2

Thomas when he was in the Air Ministry Constabulary

Thomas was the son of Dan and Alice, he was born May 1898 at Togston in the home of his grandmother Diana Llewelyn, Dan moved his family to Coronation Terrace then to The Willows, Red Row. He did odd jobs for the Co-op while he was at school. When he left school he worked for Watt & Campbell the bakers at Red Row. When he was 18 he joined the 7th Northumberland Fusiliers and was transferred to the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI'S) He was sent straight to Ypres to fight in the 3rd battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) On July 5 1918 Thomas was awarded the DCM for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in a raid, he was then only just past his 20th birthday. He was wounded twice in the raid but carried on. After the war Thomas was presented with a gold watch by The North Broomhill Heroes fund. He played football for Chevington and Felton as a fullback and started working down the pit. He married Ethel Smith in 1921 and had 3 children, Llewelyn, Joice and Jean. He joined the T/A and went down the pits to work again, in 1937 he joined the Air Ministry Constabulary at Acklington, in 1939 he was called up for WW2 and joined the 7th Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (they were Lewis machine gunners) and were part of the 51st Highland Division who were sent to fight the rearguard action to enable men to get away from Dunkirk. Along with 10-12,000 others he was captured at St. Valery en Caux on 12 June 1940.*  After being marched through France and Belgium, taken on barges , loaded on cattle trucks he eventually arrived at Thorn in Poland in POW camp Stalag XXA, he spent some time in hospital and although being a sergeant he didn't have to work, he did. In October 1943 he was repatriated in an exchange of sick prisoners and invalided out of the army. I am very lucky to have the diaries he kept as a POW, please contact me if you would like me to see if a relative is mentioned.

 He had to have an operation when he returned and a spell in hospital. He started work again for the Air Ministry Constabulary and worked at various places including Lynham and Chessington, staying with us while he was there. After his retirement Thomas spent more time on his allotment until he was too ill with heart trouble. He died Feb 1978 and was cremated at Blyth following a service at St. Johns, Broomhill, the church was overflowing with people despite the heavy snow. Charlie Dick his old friend from Felton who was in the 51st Highland Division wrote a beautiful poem for him which was read at his daughter Joices house before we left for the church.

* For further reading of the capture of the 51st HD "Churchill's Sacrifice of the 51st Highland Division" by Saul David chronicles the events.