Arthur Felix Thomas 2nd Battalion

[timberman]

This is all I have on this Officer any other information would be appreciated.

He was in the 4th Battalion in 1902.

THE LONDON GAZETTE, APRIL 22, 1901

The Manchester Regiment,
Lieutenant A. F. Thomas, from 24th Battalion
the Imperial Yeomanry (nominated by the
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South
Africa), in succession to Lieutenant H. W. S.
Robison, deceased.

The next information I can find is from his MIC

That he went to France with the 2nd Battalion on
15/08/1914
Also from his MIC,
He was with the British Military Mission in South Russia in 1920.

The following is part of a Parliamentary debate with regards to the Mission.

The SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Mr. Churchill)
From the latest strength return (dated 10th January) 394 officers and 1,529 other ranks are serving on the strength of the British Military Mission with General Denikin. Included in this number are 93 officers and 291 other ranks of the Royal Air Force. A fixed sum of money has been allocated from that approved as a final contribution 222to General Denikin for the payment and maintenance of the whole of the Mission, which is being gradually reduced accordingly, and will terminate when this sum has been exhausted.
Owing to the uncertain situation in South Russia, no definite restriction has yet been placed on its size or period of retention, apart from the proviso that the sum allowed for its maintenance is not exceeded. No additional expense will therefore be borne by the British taxpayer on its behalf.
As regards the second part of the question by the hon. Member for Wigan, the duties of the British Military Mission with General Denikin are to keep the War Office in touch with the situation, to supervise the distribution of stores supplied by His Majesty's Government, and to give instruction in technical uses of our munitions of war. So far as is Known no British officers or men have been engaged in actual fighting, with the exception of a few airmen and tank corps personnel who, earlier in the operations around Tsaritsin, asked to be allowed to accompany the Russians whom they had trained.

After further question Mr Churchill replied.

Mr. CHURCHILL
Reports have been received from General Holman, Chief of the British Military Mission with General Denikin, giving an account of the work carried out by his Mission. This work includes the supervising of the distribution of stores supplied by His Majesty's Government to the Russian Forces, and giving instruction in the employment of these stores. It is considered that General Holman and his Mission can be relied on to ensure that the best possible, use is made of the stores, and that no useful object would be gained fey publishing these reports. It should be remembered that £11,000,000 of the £15,000,000 allotted as a final contribution to General Denikin consists of surplus and non-marketable stores which would otherwise have been scrapped or disposed of at a tenth of their value.

He was also mentioned in dispatches in 1917.

Timberman

[mack]

hes a bit of a mystery neil
he was a captain in 1915/16 and a major 1917/1922
he was residing at the Grosvenor hotel,chester when he died on 30th march 1946,he was only 46yrs old

mack

[timberman]

 Thank Mack

 I can only find three mentions of him and nothing after the retreat from Mons
 when he was wounded.

 Neil

[charlie]

Awarded the DSO in the Kings Birthday Honours 1918. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30717/supplement/6489 7th name above Australian Forces.

Charlie

[timberman]

 
  Thank you Charlie

  With that information I found out it was awarded
  for services rendered in connection with Military
  Operations in Egypt. So another avenue to look at.

  Neil

[charlie]

There is a very good chance that he is the Thomas in this photo of the 4th Bn Officers in 1901.

http://www.manchester-regiment.org.uk/frontend.php?pos=4&action=zoom&keywords=Ref_No_increment;MATCHES;(%5E%7C%20+)MR00391($%7C%20+)&continueUrl=ZnJvbnRlbmQucGhwPyZrZXl3b3Jkcz1UaG9tYXMmYWN0aW9uPXNlYXJjaA==

Charlie

[charlie]

I suspect the date for the photo is wrong. Some of the officers appear to be wearing the ribbons of the QSA & KSA medals on their frock coats. The KSA medal wasn‘t instituted till October 1902 and the roll for the Bn was submitted in December 1902,  which would date the photo to late 1902 at the earliest.

Arthur Thomas was entitled to the QSA with bar Cape Colony and the KSA with the 2 bars SA 01 & SA 02.
The qualifying criteria for the KSA was 18 months aggregate service in SA prior to 31st May 1902. This would also point to the date of the photo being wrong.

He had served with the Frontier Mounted Rifles, Montmorency‘s Scouts, 94 Coy Imperial Yeomanry and Driscolls Scouts during the war.

Charlie

[timberman]

Thanks again Charlie.

 I did have the papers for South Africa.
 I think your right about the photo. I think
 the Officer on the left is Reade and not Shuter.
 I'll post the photo of Reade when I get home as
 a comparison.

 

 Neil

[mack]

hiya neil
do you get the impression that he was in military intelligence

mack

[timberman]

 Mack

 I should of looked at the army list before now

 Joined the 4th Bn as a 2nd Lt 23 April 1902.
 Became a Lt 17 Feb 1904.
 Then a Captain 1 Dec 1914.
 Becoming a Major 23 April 1917.

 He was with the 2nd up until sometime in 1915
 when he was employed with the army signal service.
 Although still listed with the Manchester's he was no
 longer serving with any of the Battalions.

 Neil

[timberman]

 Charlie

 The first photo is of the group 4th Bn could of been taken
 up to 1906 (corrected) when Reade joined the 2nd Bn.
 The second is of Reade on his own.
 I have a Bio of him to put in the 2nd Bn Officers topic.
 I think the Officer on the left back row is Reade and not
 third from left.

 Neil

[charlie]

Neil,
Please correct me if I am wrong, wasn‘t the 4th Bn disbanded in 1906?

The officer rear row, far left cannot be Reade as he only qualified for one medal, the officer in the photo is wearing the ribbons of at least two. Shuter did qualify for two. I also think that Reade is not the third from left, I think that officer‘s chin is too square/broad.

Just my opinion, and I have been known to be wrong on more than one occasion, but I think the officer rear row, second from the right looks more like Reade in the other photo. Note also where this officer is wearing his single medal ribbon - between the 2nd and 3rd row of buttons as in the photo of Reade - remainder deleted.

Charlie

[timberman]

Charlie
 I have corrected the 1908 to 1906,
 thank you for pointing it out.

 I was going by the following, forgetting that
 the 3rd and 4th were both disbanded in 1906!!!!
 He seems to be missing 2 years?

Political concerns developed from 1906, with the election of a
Liberal government resolved on military cutbacks. While Loftus
was on Alderney it was announced that the Manchester Regiment
would be halved from four Battalions to two, but he survived
reorganization to emerge in January 1908 as acting Adjutant
for the 2nd Battalion, based at Cambridge Barracks, Portsmouth.

With regard to the photo I was going on first glance of the stance
of the first Officer on the left looking more like Reade, but after
enlarging my copy  I will stick with the caption and except Reade
as being the third from the left. Also that Arthur Felix Thomas is the one
second from the left.

 Click on the picture to enlarge it.

 Thanks to you and Mack I've be able to add a bit more to
 Arthur Felix Thomas story.

 Neil