Thomas Benjamin PEEL

29 December 1916

SKIPTON RIFLEMAN WOUNDED AND MISSING

For some time now Mr. and Mrs. R. Peel of 24, Upper Sackville Street, Skipton, have felt very uneasy as to the fate of their elder son Rifleman Thomas Benjamin Peel, of the King’ Royal Rifles. In reply to their enquiries, addressed to the British Red Cross Society, a communication has now been received from the Infantry Records Office, Winchester, which states that Rifleman Peel has been officially reported as wounded and missing by the War Office since October 3rd – 10th. The missing soldier is 20 years of age, and prior to the War was a monotype operator at the office of the ‘Craven Herald’. He was also a member of the Baptist Church. His younger brother, Bernard Peel, is a boy clerk at the War Office.

05 January 1917

RIFLEMAN T. B. PEEL, SKIPTON

The above is a portrait of Rifleman Thomas Benjamin Peel, of the King’s Royal Rifles, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Peel, of 24, Upper Sackville Street, Skipton, who, as recorded in last week’s ‘Craven Herald’, has been posted as wounded and missing by the War Office since October 3rd – 10th.

09 March 1917

THE LATE RIFLEMAN T. B. PEEL OF SKIPTON – IMPRESSIVE MEMORIAL SERVICE

On Sunday evening an impressive memorial service was held at the Baptist Church Skipton, in memory of Rifleman Thomas Benjamin Peel, of the King’s Royal Rifles, the elder son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Peel, 24, Upper Sackville Street, Skipton, who on joining the Colours was one of the secretaries of the Baptist Sunday School. There was a large congregation, including members of deceased’s family, members of staff of the ‘Craven Herald’ (at which office deceased was a monotype operator prior to enlisting), and several old friends. Mr. Whitaker, the organist, played as an opening voluntary ‘O rest in the Lord’ and during the offertory ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’. Mr. W. Tempest contributed the solo ‘Beyond the Dawn’, and several appropriate hymns were also sung.

In the course of a very fine sermon from the words ‘None of us liveth to himself’ (Romans xiv., 7 and 8), the Pastor (the Rev. J. Greenwood) said the inspiration of his message sprung from the life and character of him to whose memory they had dedicated that service. The underlying ideal of his text was, he said, that the whole life of a Christian belonged not to himself, but to his Lord. The same thing was also true of his dying. Living unto the Lord implied the recognition of God in every detail of life and the recognition of social responsibility, and dying in the Lord implied a continuity of the Divine relationship – the entering in a field of nobler service. They did not mourn for their friend, but their hearts went out in deepest sympathy, tenderness and love to those upon whom the burden of sorrow lay heaviest. Knowing this worth and character, they were able to appreciate in some measure the bereaved family’s irreparable loss. Though only a boy of nineteen, deceased was a man morally and spiritually. At the time he joined the Colours he was one of their Sunday School secretaries and showed great promise of fruitful discipleship. After he went away he adapted himself to the altered conditions and bore testimony for his Lord in camp and even to a larger circle, through his helpful correspondence.

In his letters Rifleman Peel showed that his interests were in the Church, in social service and in testifying to the glory and beauty of nature. The preacher also read testimonials to the character of deceased handed to him by his employers and friends (including one from the Editor of the ‘Craven Herald’), and concluded by quoting the closing sentence of a touching letter – the last he had received – from deceased in which the latter used the striking words: “All is not darkness” and then quoted as a postscript the beautiful words of the hymn ‘Lead, kindly light’.

SOLDIERS’ SYMPATHETIC LETTERS

Rifleman A. Marnott of the King’s Royal Rifles, writing from the 1st Infantry Base Depot in France, sends his deepest sympathy to the parents of the deceased soldier. One of his greatest friends, the writer says he and Peel kept together right from the time the latter joined the battalion, and spent many happy hours together. “There was not a better natured, good tempered fellow anywhere.”

The writer adds:– “I expect I shall be going up the line again shortly; perhaps it will be to share the same fate as Ben, still we have to look to the bright side of things knowing that in the long run all these sacrifices will not be in vain.”

Another letter received from Rifleman Thos. Sutcliffe, of the same regiment, who is now at Holm Place, Queenborough, Kent, states:– “It is my most unpleasant duty to inform you that your son, Ben, was killed by a German sniper’s bullet on Saturday, October 7th, 1916. We went over the top to take the Huns’ trenches and all went well till we got about thirty yards from their trench, when they opened an awful fire upon us with their machine guns. We lay down where we were in shell holes and stayed there till dark, and it would be about four o’clock in the afternoon when poor Ben got hit. Please accept my most sincere sympathy in your sad bereavement”.

05 October 1917

PEEL – In loving memory of our dearly loved son and brother, Rifleman Thomas Benjamin Peel, K.R.R., who was killed in action at Le Sars, October 7th 1916.

A light is from our household gone,
A voice we loved is still;
A place is vacant at our hearth
Which never can be filled.

From Father, Mother, Brother and Sisters and Miss A. Cowgill.

30 November 1917

SKIPTON BAPTISTS’ MEMORIAL TO SOLDIERS

On Tuesday afternoon a three days’ sale of work was commenced in the Baptist School, Otley Street, Skipton, in aid of the Soldiers’ Memorial Extension Fund, by means of which it is intended to extend the premises in memory of the young men associated with the place who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the war. Seventy young men belonging to the church and school are at present serving with the Colours, of whom two, H. Maudsley (deacon and Sunday School superintendent) and H. Birch have been missing since May 3rd and August 17th respectively, while the following have given their lives in the great cause:– S. Bishop, J. McIntyre, J. Duckworth, G.A. Wilson, H. Greenwood, D. Collins, B. Peel (Sunday School secretary), H. Scott, A. Bruce, J. Metcalfe, A. Gill, W. Barraclough, E. Platt and W. Ireland…

04 October 1918

PEEL – In loving memory of our dear son and brother, Private T. B. Peel, King’s Royal Rifles, who was killed in action, October 7th, 1916.

A loving son and brother kind,
A beautiful memory left behind;
In the midst of life he passed to rest,
We miss him most who loved him best.

From Father, Mother, Brother and Sister and Alice.

03 October 1919

PEEL – In loving memory of our dear son and brother, Pte. Thomas Benjamin Peel, K.R.R., who was killed in action 7th October, 1916.

No one knows how much we miss him,
Only those who have lost can tell
Of the grief that’s borne in silence
For the one we loved so well.

From Father, Mother, Sisters, Brother and Alice, 24 Sackville Street, Skipton.

08 October 1920

PEEL – In ever loving memory of our dear son and brother, Private T. B. Peel; King’s Royal Rifles, who was killed in action, October 7th, 1916.

Four sad years have passed away
Since our great sorrow fell,
Yet in our hearts we mourn the loss
Of him we loved so well.

From Father, Mother, Sisters and Brother; also Alice.

07 October 1921

PEEL – In loving memory of our dear son T. B. Peel, K.R.R., who was killed in action, October 7th, 1916.

‘Tis sweet to remember he who once was here,
Though absent from us, he is just as dear.

34 Upper Sackville Street, Skipton.