Born: c 1895, Baildon
Died: 3 August 1917, Tandamuti
Buried: Dar es Sallam
Address: 26 Brook Hill, Baildon
Parents: Henry and Isabella
Spouse:
Siblings: Lottie, Wilfred and Dorothy
Occupation: woolsorter with Mr J Reddihough of Bradford
Organisations/clubs:
Military
Rank: Pte
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: Baildon Methodist Church; Baildon
Children:
Regiment: City of London Regt; 25th Battn, Frontiersmen
Thomas Henry Weightman
Thomas Weightman was born in
Baildon around 1895 and attended
the Central School there. By the
1911 census he was working as a
bobbin layer and living with his
parents Henry, a coachman, and
Isabella, both from Westmoreland.
When war broke out Thomas was
working as a woolsorter in
Bradford. Like a number of local
men, he joined the Legions of
Frontiersmen and was sent to
Africa in July 1916.
On 10 August 1917 the Shipley
Times & Express published this
story, not knowing that a week
before Thomas had been killed in
action.
With what delight the soldiers
receive their parcels which have
been forwarded by the numerous
public bodies organised to send
out parcels of comforts periodically
for our gallant lads, may be
gathered from their cheerful and
appreciative letters.
Mr H Taylor of Park Mount Avenue,
Baildon, was recently the recipient
of a letter from Pte Thomas
Weightman, whose home is at
Brook Hill, Low Baildon, who is
serving with the Frontiersmen in
German East Africa.
He was pleased to acknowledge
receipt of a parcel adding, “I had
returned from a short engagement
the other day with a tired feeling
and a longing for something dainty
to eat.
“I had not been in camp long
before Willie Gill of Woodbottom
was informed that there was a
parcel waiting for him. We both
joined of it and had
a good feed. Next
day mine followed
on and we had
another excellent
meal.
“I saw Joe Holmes,
another Baildon
soldier, and he said
he had got one.
“Nobody knows how
we value these
parcels and I must
say I am extremely
grateful to
everybody who is
concerned in getting them ready
for us. The contents are suitable
for tropical climates and everything
was sound.
Short brush
“We had a short brush with the
Germans the other day and I came
out untouched. I had my first
experience under machine gun fire
and had a good ‘breaking in.’ We
were surprised and awakened by
bullets whistling round our tents.
“The fight was short and hot and
proved successful and the
wounded and killed were not
numerous to say how close we
were to the enemy. Two days’
march back and we are here
resting after about four or five days
strenuous work.
“I am in the pink of health and
enjoying myself the best I can
under the conditions. The sun is
very powerful and gives you
‘beans’ if you expose yourself a
great deal at midday.
“We are camped by the sea once
more and going through the same
experience as we did on previous
occasions when we have been
encamped by the
water.”
It was two weeks later
this appeared in an
article about recent
Baildon casualties:
Another Baildon soldier
who has fallen is Pte
Thomas Weightman of
Brook Hill, Low Baildon.
The sad intelligence
reached Mr and Mrs
Weightman on Saturday
from Pte Weightman’s
regiment’s head-
quarters at Hounslow.
Malarial fever
Enlisting in the Frontiersmen,
Royal Fusiliers, Battalion in May
1915, Pte Weightman went
through a course of training at
Hounslow and went to Africa in
July 1916.
Whilst in German East Africa he
had an attack of malarial fever
and was later killed in action there
on August 3rd.
Before his enlistment Pte
Weightman was employed as a
woolsorter with Mr J Reddihough
of Bradford and was 22 years of
age.
Of a bright and sociable character,
his demise will be much regretted
by a large circle of friends. He
received his education at the
Central Schools under the present
headmaster, Mr T M Jones.
Richard Weightman, whose
grandfather Wilfred was Thomas’s
brother, has filled in some of the
details:
“We have the death notification
received by Thomas' parents which
says ‘Killed in action at place not
stated’. In fact it was known
exactly where he was killed
because if you look at the battalion
war diary, he was killed in the
action at Tandamuti. Details of this
are also given in the book ‘Three
years of war in East Africa’ by Capt
Angus Buchanan.
“The account of travelling up a
river in boats at night in tropical
Africa is as far as you could
probably get from the trenches of
the Western Front !
“Thomas was initially buried in
Mingoyo cemetery but in the 1960s
his body would have been re-
interred at Dar es Salaam when the
outlying cemeteries became too
difficult to maintain (according to
the CWGC web site)”
Thomas is remembered on the
Baildon Methodist Church Roll of
Honour and also on a family
gravestone in Charlestown burial
ground.
Thanks to Richard Weightman and
also to Tish and Mike Lawson for
their help with this research
