The Zion letters are a collection of letters from servicemen in the British forces during WW1 to Harold Hill of the Zion Congregational Church Sunday School and Institute on Stretford Road, Hulme. The church was a community hub with 1000 members in the congregation. It provided educational and social activities as well as religous services.
Most of the men concerned would appear to have been members of the Institute, though some are clearly work colleagues, though possibly also Zion members.Their letters span the period from early in the war until shortly after its end, though the vast majority date to 1915 and 1916.
The letters came to Manchester & Lancashire FHS in a small suitcase, their provenance was not known by the person who passed them to the society.
I am researching the lives of some of the men whose letters were found in that suitcase. These letters are a really interesting resource and window into the lives and experiences of "ordinary" men"; there are no famous names or in depth discussions of battles (the censor saw to that!) It is truly amazing how much information can be found on researching them!
There is just one letter from Thomas Percy Taylor Jones but it shone a light not only on his military service but also his father 's - he served in the British Army for 22 years! Tragically, I was to discover that Thomas survived the war - and he described how lucky he was - only to die in an accident while flying a plane over England 4 years after the War.
The envelope that contained Thomas' Letter
Thomas was born on 20th June 1895 in Pontefract, Yorkshire. His parents were Frank and Florence Adelaide (nee Taylor). Frank was stationed there as he was a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps. I discovered that Frank served for over 20 years and much of it was when he was stationed in Barbados! The couple had another son -George Leonard - in 1897 and within a year they were in the West Indies. I think Florence and her sons accompanied Frank - I cannot find them anywhere on the 1911 census. What a place to spend the boys' childhood - slightly warmer and than Manchester!
By 1911 the family were back in Manchester and Thomas was working as a "junior accountant" for the Guardians of the poor in King Street Manchester.
The offices of the Guardian of the Poor in Manchester
He began his army service in the Territorial army in 1912 and was mobilised in August 1914 at the outbreak of the war. However, he received a very unusual "war" wound - he was kicked by a horse "on the road to Blackburn" and invalided out of the army. The wound was described as being "as the result of ordinary military service" presumably as distinct from "Wounded in Action" The medical report shows that it was initially quite a serious injury (he received disablity payments until 8th February 1918). It was at this time that he joined the Royal Flying Corp.
Thomas' Letter
Thomas' letter - there was only one in the suitcase- (the letter and full transcript can be seen at the link below) ) was dated 11th December 1918, exactly one month aftter the Armistice.
Very interestingly, Thomas refers to the Armistice and he describes the news being met not with huge relief and celebration, but:
"No doubt everyone would be in the highest of spirits when news of the Armistic came through. Everything taken into consideration, the boys out here heard the news quite calmdly. There was certainly a fair amount of merrymaking but not so much as one might ordinarily have expected"
This is a really interesting first hand report of how many servicemen greeted the news - no doubt very war weary and perhaps remembering all the men they had seen killed who would not be alive to see the end of the horror.
I have not found a lot of information about Thomas' time in the RFC/RAF BUT I did find a fascinating piece of information - Thomas was awarded a medal for gallantry - from the Russian Government! It was an Order of St Stanslaus, II class cross and swords. I cannot find anything on his records but this proves that Thomas was engaged in action in Russia, after the Armistice in Europe! I have not been able to find much information but this is a really wonderful discovery!
Medal card
The rest of the letter discusses news from the Home Front, including concern about the flu epidemic and the coming, post war election
"Yes! I suppose the coming election is causing lots of excitement."
Thomas also describes how he and his pilot (Thomas was an observer) had many scares:
Of course, right up to the last might the fighting went on hotly. Less than 24 hours before the cessation my and I had some very narrow "shaves"
This is so touching: I discovered that only four years later he would die in a plane crash in peacetime.
After the War and Tragedy
Thomas remained in the RAF after his sortie in Russia. In 1921 he is based at Shotwick Aerodrome Cheshire and is a Flying Officer (Training). In 1923 he married Florence Lilian Dixon who, according to the 1921 census, was a lady's companion (sadly "out of work"). I think she was a distant cousin as I have seen the surname while researching Thomas' mother. After marrying in Salford in 1923, tragedy struck just a year later. on searching the newspaper archives I discovered that Thomas died in a flying accident in May 1924. There was some discussion on whether the plane was airworthy and another Flying Officer seems to say that Thomas might have contributed to the accident. However, the Coroner observed that no blame could be attached to anyone.
Report of the fatal accident
Thomas came through the war years, surviving many "close shaves" and considering himself "a very fortunate individual indeed to have come out of it all safely". He served in Russia, and was awarded a medal for gallantry only to die in peacetime within four years of the end of hostilities. I have been unable to trace what happened to his wife, Florence. She may have remarried and so I would not be able to trace her under a different surname.
Thomas' letter has allowed me an insight into the thoughts of a serviceman about the end of the war, his sympathy for those suffering in the flu epidemic and his horribly ironic optimism aftrer surviving the war - only to die after it before the age of 30. It has been a privilege and a very rewarding "journey" to trace his life from a clerk in Manchester to Russia via France. A short life, well lived.
Thank you for your service Thomas.
Images courtesy of Manchester & Lancashire FHS
copyright on images of letters and Zion Chapel are "Copyright: Trustees of
Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society".
https://mlfhs.uk/zion/letters/servicemen-h-l/2297-jones-thomas-percy-taylor/file
https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/image/722180757/jones-thomas-percy-taylor-page-1-uk-wwi-royal-flying-corps-and-successors-gallantry-award-medal-index
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