Family :

Education & Career :

Educated at Oundle School, Laxton house from September 1902 to 1906. Qualified as a solicitor.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

Accidents were a minor factor in the casualty list. Our definition is deaths resulting from activities that were not directly associated with 'active service'. We have excluded Naval Accidents which are seperately identified because of their numbers and impact. Many accidents involved the aviators, operating at the the limits of technology.

Detail :

He enlisted at the outset of the war.

The Lincolnshire Chronicle 9th October 1915 reports his death "Lieut. L.E. Thimbleby of the Lincolns was killed in a motor cycle accident near St Albans a few weeks ago."

The Boston Guardian of 4th September 1915 provides more context:

"SPILSBY OFFICER'S SAD DEATH FATALLY INJURED IN MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT. A SAD FATALITY AT St. Albans last weekend has thrown a well-known and highly respected Spilsby family into mourning and cut off on the threshold of a promising career a fine young officer. Lieut. J. E. Thimbleby, of the 2/5th Lincolnshire Regiment, quartered at St. Albans, with two or three officers of the same battalion, last Friday afternoon had been for a ride in the neighbourhood, and were returning to St. Albans about 10 p.m., each riding a motor cycle, when Lieut. Thimbleby collided with a cart laden with hay, which, it is alleged, was on the wrong side of the road and showed no lights. One of the shafts of the cart struck Lieut, Thimbleby in the chest. He was conveyed to the St. Albans Hospital, where it was found that several ribs were fractured, and although everything possible was done for the unfortunate gentleman, he died early on the following Sunday morning. Col. G. Beaumont Walker of Spilsby, who is the officer commanding the Battalion, communicated the news of the accident to Lieut. Thimbleby parents, who were staying at their Skegness residence, and Mrs. and Miss Thimbleby reach St Albans late on Saturday. Lieut. Thimbleby, of Avenue House, Spilsby, and was 26 years of age. He was one of the finest types of a young Englishman, 6Ft in height, and of splendid proportions, and his manly straightforward qualities endeared him to a host friends in a wide circle. He received his early education at Spilsby Grammar School, and later at Oundle. Following his father's and Grandfather's profession, he qualified, and was admitted as a solicitor in June 1912, and had, therefore, just entered upon what should have been a long and honourable career in his native town, where the family are held in the highest esteem. At the outbreak of the war he was desirous of serving his country, and in the autumn was granted a commission in the 2/5th Battalion of the County Regiment, in which were several of his intimate friends. He took a keen interest in his military duties, and with many others of the Battalion volunteered for foreign service, hoping soon to proceed for active duty. He was an experienced and careful motorist, and the sad accident which has ended his too brief career is deplored by everyone who knew him. An inquiry into the cause of death was not held till Tuesday morning, when a verdict of "Accidental Death" was returned.

PUBLIC CONDOLENCES At Skegness Petty Sessions on Tuesday, the Chairman (Capt. W. Hoff) made touching reference to the sad event. He said, he had known Lieut. Thimbleby all his life, and had always found him a most honourable, straightforward gentleman. As they knew, since he had been a qualified solicitor he had been present in that Court and at Spilsby when he had been at home at every sitting of the Court, and had taken a very great interest t in magisterial business, and he (the speaker) always looked forward that there would be a time - probably no in his time - when he would have occupied the chair that his respected father and grandfather had occupied for so many years. He died, he might say, in the service of his country, because he volunteered and joined the Fifth Lincolns, and really, he had died on active service, although it would have been a much more glorious death, and he thought his relatives would not have felt it so keenly. Had he died in battle. Be that as it might, they all had the very greatest regard for his family. He himself had known three generations of then now, and he had the very greatest regard for them, and he might say his colleagues shared that feeling with him. In the terrible calamity that had befallen them in losing a fine young fellow - as fine a fellow as ever stepped on this earth, standing 6 feet, if not more - in the prime of life, a man who had quite a brilliant career before him in every way, the family had their deepest sympathy. He had volunteered to serve his country in this hour of trial, and to lose him in that way was sad in the extreme. He asked the Clerk to convey the sincere sympathy and condolences of the Bench to Mr. and Mrs. Thimbleby and the members of the family. In the very great grief which had come upon them' Supt. Marshall associated himself on behalf of the police with what had been said, and Mr. R. Epton, solicitor, Lincoln, on behalf of the profession practising in the Court, said he wished to endorse every word that had been said. It was his privilege to take with Lieut. Thimbleby the last holiday he ever took. They were together just before he enlisted and spent a very happy time together. He felt sure his loss would be very severely felt by all his numerous friends. He endeared himself to everybody, not only in has professional capacity, which they all recognised, but by his good comradeship towards all his friends. The Deputy-Clerk (Mr. J. E. Chatterton) said he had known Lieut. Thimbleby since he was quite a boy, and if he were to speak for an hour he could only re-echo what had been so ably put. He would convey the expressions of sympathy to Mr. and Mrs. Thimbleby in their sad trial.

THE FUNERAL The remains were brought to Spilsby by rail on Wednesday for interment, arriving at 1 p.m. Col. Walker and the other officers of the Battalion accompanied the body, which was enclosed in a massive plain oak, covered with the Union Jack, and on it rested the sword and cap of the dead officer. The sergeants of the Battalion furnished the bearer party. A huge concourse of people was gathered outside the station entrance and all the way to the Parish Church. All places of business and private houses showed lowered blinds, and everywhere the utmost respect was show to the memory of the young officer. The police of the Spilsby Division, under Supt. Marshall. preceded the cortege, and the chief mourners were Mr. T. W. Thimbleby (father), Miss Thimbleby (sister), Mr. Frank Thimbleby (brother), Mrs. F. Thimbleby, Mrs C. Kenwood (sister), Mr. C. Kenward and Miss R, Wain. The officers and brethren of the Shakespeare Lodge of Freemasons paid a last tribute to their departed brother, and there was also a very large attendance of residents from the town and neighbourhood. The service in the church was chorial and was taken by the Rev. G. Carter, the hymn being "On the resurrection morning." As the coffin was taken out of the church the organist (Mr. Sharman) played the Dead March in "Saul". The committal portion of the service was performed by the Rev. G. H. Hales, Rector of Stickney, and at the close the bugler sounded the "Last Post." After the relatives had moved away the officers and men each in turn saluted the coffin and turned sadly way. The floral tokens of sympathy were very numerous and extremely beautiful."

He is commemorated at Spilsby Edward VI Grammar School, Spilsby St James Church and is listed on the Lincolnshire Regiment Roll of Honour WW1.

Masonic :

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