THOMAS WILLIAM GARRETT Born 1882 Died 1949


Thomas William Garrett was born in 1882, the son of George and Jane Garrett of East Knoyle. As a young man he enlisted in the Royal Marines, serving for five years from 1904 to 1908. On his return to the village he worked as a Bricklayer on the Wyndham estate until the outbreak of war in 1914 when, as a reservist, he was immediately called up, serving on land and at sea for the whole of the War. On demobilisation he returned to East Knoyle with an exemplary service record to seek work. A reference given by the Agent of the Wyndham estate described him as a “reliable, honest and sober man”. Married to Eliza they had four children: Gladys, Mary and Doris, followed by a son Frederick who established a sawmill in Leigh Lane on the site of what is now Old Mill Close. The mill operated until circa 1994 since when the site was developed in its current form by the family who still live in Leigh Lane or villages close to East Knoyle. Thomas died in 1949 aged 67 and is buried in East Knoyle.


Above, Thomas’ demolisation character certificate showing his very good character and throughly trustworthy.


Left- Thomas’ medals including the Victory Medal on the left. Statistics


The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was over 37 million. There were over 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history. The total number of deaths includes about 10 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians. The Entente Powers (also known as the Allies) lost about 6 million military personnel while the Central Powers lost about 4 million. At least 2 million died from diseases and 6 million went missing, presumed dead. About two-thirds of military deaths in World War I were in battle. Nevertheless, disease, including the Spanish flu and deaths while held as prisoners of war, still caused about one third of total military deaths.


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