Family :

Education & Career :

He had a distinguished career in Dublin University, and played full back on their 1st hockey team. He entered the Ceylon Civil Service circa 1907 as Assistant Government Agent at Kandy. He was well known as a good sportsman and big game shot.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

20 November - 30 December 1917. As the Battle of Third Ypres closed down the opportunity presented itself for a short but rapid attack on the German positions near Cambrai. Drawing on the considerable lessons learnt at Ypres the battle plan concentrated on better ground the combined resources of infantry, artillery, tanks and air support in what was in part a blueprint for the combined operations that are now a normal part of military thinking and planning. It was at first spectacularly successful but again the German ability to reorganise and counter attack was demonstrated to such an extent that by the end of the battle virtually all gains were lost. British casualties were about 45,000.

Detail :

Second Lieutenant Thomas Augustus Carey, 1st Batt. Irish Guards was killed in action on December 5th, gallantly leading his men to victory “over the top”.

Irish Guards, Kipling:
Just before dawn, on the 5th December, they put down a very heavy mixed barrage behind the front line and a trench mortar one on the line itself, and then attacked the two weak spots?No. 2 and No. 3 Companys? position?with armoured bombers. The barricade to the communication-trench of No. 3 Company was blown in by a direct mortar-hit and a rush followed. No. 2 Company?s trench was also rushed end-on from the right, and three or four bays of it were taken. At this point, the Irish left the trenches all filling with the enemy, got out into the open, where for the moment there was no mortar-fire, and dealt with the invaders from outside, bombing and shooting downwards into the heavily-moving queues. The Germans wore their packs, ?from which it may be inferred,? says the Diary delicately, ?that they meant to occupy our trenches.? This, and their scientific armour, proved their undoing, and when?presumably to make doubly sure?an infantry attack swarmed out in two lines from Gonnelieu, it was broken up by our rifle and machine-gun fire, till it turned round and fled. Hereupon, says the Diary, ?they were heavily bombed by their own side,? presumably as an example to His Majesty?s Guards of Prussian discipline. The casualties in the Battalion were one officer, 2nd Lieutenant Carey, and four other ranks killed; and about thirty wounded, mainly by bombs and mortars. They had lost, in November and December, two officers killed; Lieutenant N. F. Durant on the 30th November, who had joined on the 1st of that month, and 2nd Lieutenant T. A. Carey, killed on the 5th December, joined on the 24th October. (The average expectation of an officer?s life in those days on the Somme was still about six weeks, though some were so lucky they survived for months.)

Masonic :

Treasurer

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