Ernest Edward Thomas,
MM (16 December 1884 – February 1939) was an Irish cavalryman in the
British Army and
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
. While serving with the
4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards
The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Arran's Regiment of Cuirassiers. It was renamed as the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards in 17 ...
he fired the first British shot of the
First World War, at 7am on 22 August 1914,
in an engagement outside Mons.
Early life
Although it has been reported that Thomas was born in
Nenagh, County Tipperary,
it has now been established that he was born in London of Irish ancestry.
Thomas joined the
British Army as a drummer in the
Royal Horse Artillery, but transferred to the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards before the outbreak of hostilities.
First World War
It was while serving as a
corporal in the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards that Thomas is reported to have fired the first British shot of the First World War. He was promoted to
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
on 5 November 1915 and transferred to the
Machine Gun Corps in 1916. Thomas was also
mentioned in dispatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
for bravery. While positioned in a slit trench he advanced on his opposite number after British shelling of the enemy lines, to find all the German soldiers killed. Noting the quality of the German boots, he removed them from several soldiers, tied them together and crawled back to his own lines, where he distributed them amongst his friends. Thomas was awarded the
Military Medal during his service.
Later life and death
Thomas returned to the Royal Irish Dragoons at the end of hostilities and was discharged in 1923. He then became the Commissionnaire at the
Duke of Yorks Cinema.
While at work in February 1939, Thomas became ill and subsequently died of pneumonia. He was buried with full military honours.
See also
*
Alhaji Grunshi
Alhaji Grunshi, , serving in the Gold Coast Regiment, was the first soldier in British service to fire a shot in the First World War.
First World War
At the start of the First World War, Germany's West African colony of Togoland was isolated from ...
, of the
Gold Coast Regiment, the first soldier anywhere in British service to fire a shot in the First World War, on 7 August 1914.
*
Charles Beck Hornby
Charles Beck Hornby, (7 February 1883 – 10 January 1949) was a British Army, British cavalryman. While serving as a captain in the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, he is reputed to have become the first British soldier to kill a German sold ...
, reputed to have become the first British soldier to kill a German soldier, using his sword, in the same action on 22 August 1914.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Edward
Royal Horse Artillery soldiers
4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards soldiers
Machine Gun Corps soldiers
British Army personnel of World War I
1884 births
1939 deaths
Recipients of the Military Medal
Deaths from pneumonia in the United Kingdom
Military personnel from London