Thomas Harold Piper Frost

Rank: Private

Service Number: 1872 / 240304

Date of Birth: 1885

Regiment: A Coy, 1/5th Suffolk Regiment

Date of Death: 12 Aug 1915

Age at death: 30

Cemetery / Memorial: Helles Memorial

Country: Gallipoli, Turkey

Grave / Reference: Panel 46 and 47

Relatives: Husband of Mrs Alice Laura frost (nee Hynard)

Address: 33 Angel Street, Hadleigh

Thomas was born in Kersey in 1885. By 1911 he is living at 33 Angel Street, Hadleigh with his wife, Alice and their children; George William (4), Alice Lilian (2) and 3 month old Thomas Harold. They were also living with Alice's 70 year old father, William Hynard, who was by then an Army Pensioner.

Thomas was employed as a farm labourer. We are not exactly sure when he enlisted into the army, but it seems like many other young men from Hadleigh, he was probably a member of the local territorial battalion, the 5th Battalion the Suffolk Regiment. The 5th Suffolks were mobilised at the outbreak of war on the night of the 4th/5th August 1914.

Once mobilised the 1st/5th Suffolks spent a number of months carrying out home service tasks. At that time territorial units were only liable for home service duties and were not required to deploy overseas. However, when it became apparent that more troops would be needed for overseas service, the men of the battalion were asked to volunteer. After giving this some serious thought, 72% of the men volunteered and the battalion was redesigned 1st/5th Suffolk Regiment. Those who opted to stay on home service duties only, became the 2nd/5th Suffolks. Being a married man, it would completely understandable for Thomas to have opted to remain at home.

Thomas’ family received the memorial coin (death penny) and his medals. The death penny above is the original, but the medals are replicas as the the whereabouts of the original medals are not known.

The 1st/5th Suffolks completed their training and preparation and were re-equipped for service in the eastern theatre. They embarked along with the rest of 163 Brigade and the 54 Eastern Division at the end of July from Liverpool bound for Gallipoli. They arrived and went ashore at Suvla Bay on 10th August 1915 and were quickly moved forward. By midday on the 12th they were manning the forward trenches on the Anafarta Plain. At 4pm they were ordered forward as part of a 163 Brigade operation to clear the Plain of snipers in preparation for a much larger Divisional operation that was planned for the following day. The battalion was on the left of the brigade line and 'A' Company made up of Hadleigh men were in the first wave. There was at least 75 Hadleigh men involved and this was going to be a true baptism of fire.

The men were told it would be a straight forward advance to mop up the odd sniper and clear the plain, but in reality they faced a determined and ruthless enemy. The enemies intimate knowledge of the ground was key. They sniped the Suffolks who could not see the firing points and even if they could, they had no artillery support to combat the snipers. In addition, the Turks made best use of their own artillery which ultimately halted the brigades advance. The Suffolks fell back to a shallow river bed / ditch where they formed the new front line. They spent the next couple of days hunkered down under heavy enemy fire and desperately short on supplies, especially drinking water. They managed to improve the cover by digging in and turning the ditch into trench. A few days later they were relieved and returned to the reserve trenches where they discovered that the attack had cost them dearly; 11 Officers and 178 Other Ranks were killed, wounded or missing. Although official records suggest that many of the Suffolks went missing on or after the 21st Aug, we now believe that the majority were actually lost during the advance on the 12th.

The front line established by the Suffolks on the 12th remained the front line more or less until the allies withdrew at the end of the campaign. Many of the men who died, fell in what was no mans land and due to the nature of the fighting their bodies were never recovered from the battlefield until the early 1920s. By then the remains were unrecognisable and could not be identified. The remains were most likely buried in Azmak Commonwealth War Grave Commission cemetery in an unmarked grave. This cemetery is in the area were the Suffolks held the front line. Their names are commemorated on the impressive Helles Memorial which stands on the southern tip of the Gallipoli peninsular.

Unfortunately for the families of the men who were reported as missing, there was a long and painful wait for news. A few men had been captured and taken as prisoners of war and so some families clung to the hope that their loved ones were still alive. But with little news forthcoming, there was a great deal of uncertainty for the families.

After repeated requests for information and after two long years, Thomas’ wife received an official letter stating “It is my painful duty to inform you that no further news having been received relative to 240304 Pte T Frost 1/5 Suffolks who has been missing since 21 August 1915 the Army Council have been regretfully constrained to conclude that he is dead…”

This sad news was also reported in the Suffolk Free Press in November 1917.