3123 Private
1/7th Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, 10th Infantry Brigade, 4th Division
Age: 21
Date of Death: 2.5.15
Buried: Menin Gate Memorial Panel 42 to 44
Family history: Son of Henry and Margaret Wardlaw, 25 Dundas Street, Grangemouth. He had two brothers and three sisters. Before he enlisted on 24 October 1914 he was employed as a capstanman at Grangemouth docks. He landed in France with the Regiment on 15 December 1914.
The action leading to his death
The battalion was in the support trenches located about 800 yards behind the front line trenches in the area of Forward Cottage and Hill Top Farm. They were heavily shelled in the afternoon and had nine casualties.
The death of Thomas was reported by his friend Private John Clark in a letter he wrote to his mother. He indicated in the letter that Thomas was killed by a shrapnel bullet. He also wrote in the letter that he was glad that he had attended his friends funeral. Thomas’s body was subsequently lost and he is listed amongst the missing on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Medals Awarded
1915 Star, Victory Medal, British War Medal
