Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

23 November 1914 - 6 February 1915. As the armies of 1914 fought themselves to exhaustion they settled down by the end of the year to the realities of static trench warfare. During the winter, activity was mostly comprised of a series of small scale raids and attempts by the BEF to gain superiority over the battlefront. At the same time increasing numbers of Territorial battalions and replacements for the Regular battalions came into theatre and had to be trained and acclimatised to trench occupation. This period was further noted for the severity of the weather and the need to rapidly source and equip the troops with adequate winter and waterproof equipment, whilst improving the trench conditions. Miserable times.

Detail :

2nd LIEUTENANT THOMAS ALBERT KNOTT, 1st BATTN. PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALESS ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGT. Son of Frank and Alice Knott, was born at Manchester, on the 10th November 1879. He enlisted in the 4th Manchester Regiment in February, 1901. For two years from 1902 he was an Instructor in Mounted Infantry duties, and in June, 1906 was transferred to the 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment. He received his commission on the 3rd October, 1914. He was wounded by shrapnel on the 13th November, 1914, and died in No. 11 General Hospital, Boulogne. It has not been possible to obtain authenticated particulars, but the following details were gathered from a non commissioned officer of the battalion, and are believed to be accurate: The battalion left Aldershot for France on the 11th August, 1914, and landing at Boulogne marched out the same night for Mons. They had hardly arrived when they came under heavy fire, and lost nearly all their transport but 2nd Lieutenant Knott, who was in charge of it, managed to save some, though the battalion did not see it again for three weeks. During the ensuing retirement they had to march and fight night and day until they reached the outskirts of Paris. During the three weeks so occupied, 2nd Lieutenant Knott was promoted to that rank for his work in saving the transport. On the 25th November the battalion was ordered to Gheluvelt, four miles east of Ypres, where it was in very heavy fighting until at one point 2nd Lieutenant Knott was the only officer left. By going out of the trench under heavy fire he succeeded in bringing in, first one, and then the other machine gun from either flank, both guns having been temporarily abandoned, and put them in position, having so far carried out his perilous action without being touched. He then attempted to get back to his post in the observation station about eight hundred yards away, and had nearly reached it when he was badly hit in the thigh, and fell at once seriously wounded. It was seven hours before the ambulances could bring him in. The battalion was warmly commended by the Commander-in-Chief personally for their behaviour, informing them they had saved the position. The non-commissioned officer furnishing these details was awarded the D.C.M.; and, had he not unfortunately died, no doubt 2nd Lieutenant Knott would have received due recognition for his gallantry. 2nd Lieutenant Knott, who was a Freemason, was a member of the Military Jubilee Lodge, Dover.

Masonic :

Listed as a 32 year old Sergeant of the Berkshire Regiment, resident at Dover upon initiation into Military Jubilee Lodge in 1913. He was subsequently passed and raised in Lodge of Anchor and Hope Lodge No. 1093. The entry against his contribution record states "Died of Wounds, Nov. 15. 1914."

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley