246590 L/Cpl. Richard Patrick Thornton British Army 16th Signal Company Royal Engineers from:Beragh, Co. Tyrone My grandfather Richard Thornton was born on 20th Aug. 1884. He died in Coalisland, Co. Tyrone in 1966. He married Rachael C. Walsh in 1907 and they had 7 children. My mother was Evelyn born in 1912 and after the war he had 3 more children. He was a Post Office clerk before the war. I have a large photograph of his battalion, taken in November 1915 at Blackdown, Dorset, England.
The caption reads "Officers & N.C.O's 16th Signal Coy. Royal Engineers. Blackdown. November 1915." I presume this is where he was sent to after enlisting. He was wounded in the back but survived to return to his wife and children. During his time in Belgium, my grandfather sent great postcards to his children. They had moved to Belfast to be near an aunt. Then years later my grandfather talked about going to live in Belgium, but he would not have received his pension there. But his daughter Bernadette married a 2nd World War Belgian soldier in 1947 and he got his wish and visited Belgium on several occasions. That branch of the family still live in Belgium, near Liege.
There are 46 men in the photograph, would any of the readers of this site have a relative in the photograph?
My grandfather lived until he was 82 years of age and from this marriage have grown the lives of 16 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren and 26 great great grandchildren.
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