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{{ROH Soldier 6th Battalion
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|image1 = Thomas Skinner (10932 Pte).jpg
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|honourific_prefix = ▼
|name = Thomas Skinner ▼
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|other_name =▼
|nickname =▼
|born = [[2 May]] 1893<br>Carlisle, Cumberland▼
|age =▼
|rank = [[Private]]
|service_number = 10932
|company = A Company
|battalion = [[6th
|regiment = [[Border Regiment]]
|enlisted = Carlisle, Cumberland
|attached =
|transferred =
|former_unit = [[2nd
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|died = [[14 August]] 1915<br>Gallipoli (Lemnos, Greece)▼
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|age =▼
▲ |honourific_prefix =
|cause_of_death = [[Died of wounds]]▼
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|education =
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|spouse =
|children =
|parents = Thomas and Frances Skinner
|siblings =
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}}▼
'''Thomas Skinner''' was a [[Private]] in the [[2nd Battalion|2nd]] and [[6th Battalion]]s of the [[Border Regiment]].▼
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|casualty_type = Commonwealth War Dead
▲ |cause_of_death = [[Died of wounds]]
|burial_type = Grave
|reference_number = II.E.77.
|resting_place = East Mudros Military Cemetery
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▲ |biography = '''Thomas Skinner''' was a [[Private]] in the [[2nd Battalion|2nd]] and [[6th Battalion]]s of the [[Border Regiment]].
==Family Background==
In 1901, Thomas Skinner the elder brought with him five children under the age of 13 to his sister Anne's house to live after the death of his wife Frances. Of the children, Thomas (Tommy) was just 7 years old and the only boy in the now 9-person household.
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The too familiar surroundings of Carlisle made Thomas seek more exciting adventures, prompting him to join the British Army, namely the [[2nd Battalion]], [[Border Regiment]]. It was not a typical occupational choice for the son of two staunch Salvation Army members.
At the outbreak of World War I, Thomas was transferred to the [[6th Battalion]] and embarked for Lincolnshire in September of 1914. They were there for nine months while training and waiting to be properly outfitted with weapons, equipment, and even uniforms. At the end June 1915 orders were received to prepare for active service. Expecting to be thrust into the fighting on the
During their time on Imbros an epidemic of dysentery spread through the unit. It is unknown if Thomas was affected, but he could not have escaped unscathed. He would have participated in the practice night landings on [[4 August]] and he would have been as surprised as the rest of the men when they were told at noon on the 6th that their attack at [[Suvla Bay]] was going ahead that very night. Little practice, extended sickness, and no warning of the attack, coupled with gastric problems caused by cholera vaccinations, the future did not bode well for the battalion.
The Battalion went ashore at Suvla Bay as part of the 34th Brigade. The objective of the landing was to take the high hills in the area and to consolidate a holding along the narrowest part of the Gallipoli Peninsula. One feature, Chocolate Hill, named for the colour of the bush growing on it, was supposed to be captured by dawn on the [[7 August]]. This was accomplished between the 6th Border Regiment and another unit, but well after the time allotted. The men were ordered back to the beach at Suvla at 9am on the [[8 August]], but the day was spent in chaos. Water was in very short supply and
At some point during this attack Thomas was hit. The bullet ripped through but didn't kill him. Most likely he lay bleeding, losing and regaining consciousness numerous times before being carried from the field to an aid station as the battalion withdrew from the attack. From there he was transported back to the beach at Suvla and then by boat to Lemnos. Over the next five days Thomas would have undergone surgery, but his wounds were beyond repair. On [[14 August]] 1915, just 46 days after leaving the friendly shores of England, Thomas died on the Island of Lemnos and was buried in what is now East Mudros Military Cemetery.
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Thomas Skinner went ashore at Suvla Bay as part of the 6th Border Regiment, a unit of 719 men. The day after Thomas’s wounding only 303 all ranks answered their names at roll call.
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[[Category:6th Battalion Roll of Honour]]
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